An IDF drone operating on Monday in the area where excavation work was being carried out near the Daraj-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City documented the deception of Hamas regarding the remains returned to Israel on Monday.

The drone showed a Hamas tractor digging a pit near a building and covering it with soil. Shortly afterward, Hamas terrorists arrived at the scene and removed remains from the building. They then placed the remains in the hole they had just dug, covered it with soil, and summoned the Red Cross regarding their “discovery” of an Israeli hostage’s body.

The IDF has not yet released the footage.

The report of the incident, corroborated by reservists, was first aired by Galei Tzahal.

In a letter sent by MK Tzvi Sukkot to the IDF Chief of Staff and the Defense Minister, he wrote, “The reservists reported that the entire event was documented by IDF drone cameras, clearly showing the sequence of actions by the terrorists—from removing the body to presenting the so-called ‘discovery’ to the Red Cross. This constitutes a blatant violation of the agreement with the Hamas terror organization, false propaganda, and manipulation of public perception in Israel and abroad.”

Sukkot called for the release of the footage to expose that Hamas is exploiting the bodies of fallen hostages for propaganda purposes. In practice, this constitutes a breach of the agreement, which stipulates that Hamas must return all hostages—both living and deceased—held in its custody.

In recent days, Hamas has insisted that it does not have information about the whereabouts of all the bodies of the hostages or is unable to reach them, but the footage of the terrorists may indicate that it is, in fact, not complying with the agreement.

According to assessments, the coffin that Hamas transferred to Israel last night—reportedly from the same site in the Tuffah neighborhood—contained the remains of a murdered hostage who had previously been returned and buried in Israel. The coffin does not belong to any of the 13 fallen hostages still held by the terror organization in Gaza.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)