An Open Wound
Third Time at the Grave: What the Tzarfati Family Endured Overnight Due to Hamas Deception
The family of Nova festival victim Ofir Tzarfati faces renewed trauma as Hamas stages deceptive return of remains, marking third time they must reopen their son's grave.
The family of Ofir Tzarfati Z"L (may his memory be a blessing), a victim of the October 7 massacre, confirmed today that additional parts of his remains were returned to Israel overnight, exposing a grotesque act of deception by Hamas intended to sabotage the ongoing hostage negotiations.
Tzarfati, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on his birthday alongside his partner Shoval and friends, was later murdered in captivity. While his body was recovered in late November 2023 and initially buried, his family has endured repeated trauma as Hamas continues to use his remains for psychological warfare.
Staged Discovery and Repeated Trauma
The devastating announcement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirms the manipulative tactics reported earlier by Israeli media, where IDF reservists claimed Hamas staged the discovery of a body.
The Tzarfati family issued a heartbreaking statement detailing the latest ordeal:
“We went to sleep last night with the expectation and hope that another family would close a grueling two-year circle and return their loved one for burial. But once again, a deception was perpetrated on the back of our family, which is trying to recover. This morning, they showed us the video in which the remains of our beloved son were extracted, buried, and then the Red Cross was called, a despicable manipulation intended to sabotage the deal and abandon the return of all the hostages.This is the third time we are forced to open Ofir’s grave and rebury our son. The circle was supposedly 'closed' already in December 2023, but it never truly closes. Since then, we live with a wound that is constantly reopening, between memory and longing, between bereavement and mission.”
The family’s statement referenced previous painful incidents, including the return of additional remains in March 2024 and the public release of a photograph of Ofir’s body by Hamas in August of the same year.
A Call for Unity and Action
The family used their moment of renewed grief to issue a powerful plea to the nation, emphasizing the need to secure the release of all captives for the country’s future.
“Our Ofiri went out to Nova to celebrate his birthday and never came back. We ask the entire nation of Israel not to forget the fallen, not to forget the hostages, and to continue supporting the families until their return and even afterward, only then will we have a future. Only then will we be able to continue living in our country.”