On Tuesday, Israel revealed that it had received from Hamas, through the Red Cross, the remains of a deceased hostage, coinciding with the nearing of President Donald Trump’s 48-hour deadline.

However, the remains did not correspond with those of the 13 hostages whose bodies are still missing in Gaza. Sources informed Fox News that the coffin given to Israel was believed to contain the remains of a hostage who had already been returned to Israel for burial. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has called for public sensitivity toward the families of the hostages. Neither the Israeli government nor the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed the identity of the deceased.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement suggesting that the remains were those of Ofir Tzarfati.

“Ofir had attended the Nova Festival to celebrate his birthday with his partner Shoval and close friends. Tragically, his birthday celebration was violently interrupted when he was taken captive and subsequently killed. Ofir’s body was recovered and buried in Israel at the end of November 2023,” the statement read.

The forum also mentioned that additional remains of Tzarfati were returned in March 2024 and that Hamas had released a photo of his body in August 2024.

“Last night, we went to bed with hope that another family might finally end their painful two-year ordeal and bring their loved one home for a proper burial. But once again, our family has been deceived as we attempt to heal. This morning, we saw video footage of our beloved son’s remains being exhumed, reburied, and handed over to the Red Cross—a cruel manipulation aimed at derailing the agreement and abandoning the mission to bring all the hostages home,” the Tzarfati family expressed in a statement.

“This is the third time we have been forced to open Ofir’s grave and rebury our son. The circle supposedly ‘closed’ back in December 2023, but it never truly closes. Since then, we have lived with a wound that constantly reopens, between memory and longing, between bereavement and mission.”

The Tzarfati family urged the public to support the families who were still waiting for their loved ones to be brought home for a dignified burial.

On Saturday, Trump touted the “very strong peace in the Middle East,” but then he slammed Hamas and demanded they “start returning the bodies of deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly.” He said that if the terror group failed to hold up its end of the deal, other countries would “take action.”

“We have a very strong PEACE in the Middle East, and I believe it has a good chance of being EVERLASTING. Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action,” Trump wrote.

The president added that while he said that “both dies would be treated fairly,” his promise would only apply if “they comply with their obligations.”

Trump acknowledged that “some of the bodies are hard to reach,” but said others could start being returned now, adding that “for some reason, they are not.” He then said that it would remain to be seen what actions Hamas would take in the coming 48 hours, adding, “I am watching this very closely.”

Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire began, all living Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been released, while the country awaits the return of deceased hostages’ remains.

So far, Israel has received 15 of the 28 deceased hostages’ remains, including Aryeh Zalmanovich, Master Sergeant (Res.) Tamir Adar, Staff Sgt. Tal Haimi, Suntaya Akrasi, Ronen Tommy Engel, Eliyahu Margalit, Uriel Baruch, Staff Sgt. Tamir Nimrodi, Eitan Levi, Daniel Peretz, Yossi Sharabi, Guy Illuz, Bipin Joshi, Inbar Hayman and Sergeant Major Muhammad Al-Atresh. The remains of U.S.-Israeli citizens Cpt. Omer Neutra and Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, have not been returned to Israel.

The Israeli government and military have repeatedly called on Hamas to hold up its end of the deal and give families the closure they have been denied for over two years.