Hamas terrorists post sick photograph of a dead hostage killed in captivity – as ‘last chance’ Gaza ceasefire talks commence in Qatar
Hamas yesterday published a gruesome photo of a dead hostage killed in captivity as “last chance” ceasefire negotiations get underway.
The terror organization refused to meet its Israeli counterparts in Doha for the final round of negotiations despite enormous pressure from both sides to finally end the war.
Instead, a photo of Ofir Tsarfati’s body was shared under the headline “an unfortunate incident” and said: “Your cruelty poses an imminent danger to your prisoners.”
One source claimed that a guard “acted contrary to orders in revenge after receiving news of the martyrdom of his two children in one of the enemy massacres.”
According to the Israeli military, Tsarfati’s body was found in November after he was killed by the group and confirmed that his family had been notified.
It would indicate that the terror group only published the message on Thursday as part of a mind game with Israeli negotiators.
Hamas shared an image of the body of Ofir Tsarfati, whose body was found in November
People protest in front of the Ministry of Defense building demanding the government sign a ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement on Thursday
Protests have been going on in Tel Aviv for months, calling for an end to the war
The mother of the hostage whose photo Hamas cruelly posted last night called on both sides to reach an agreement. She wanted her son to be remembered as a “perfect man.”
Tsarfati was abducted from the Nova festival before his body was found in November.
His mother, Richelle, said: ‘After ten and a half months of a difficult and painful war, Hamas today chose to publish a photo of Ofir. I choose not to look at the image that Hamas published.
‘Instead, I want to remember Ofir as he was: a perfect man, handsome, smiling and happy ā not as Hamas portrayed him in their despicable psychological warfare.
“What is important today is that the developing deal is successfully implemented. There are 115 hostages who need to return home: the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for a proper Jewish burial.
“What’s important today is that the team succeeds and does everything it can to go home with a deal. Everyone has to go home, every person. And now.”
Benjamin Netanyahu is under intense domestic pressure to reach a deal with the 111 hostages still in Gaza, at least 39 of whom have died, the Israeli military said.
According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in its bloody war.
Hamas political official Osama Hamdan speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Doha on August 13.
Palestinians run toward a column of smoke rising after the Israeli bombardment of a school complex on August 3
Damage to a building in Kibbutz Be’eri in Israel after Hamas attacks on October 7
Ofir Tsarfati was kidnapped from the Nova festival on October 7 (location pictured on October 17)
Talks have resumed in the capital of Qatar in an attempt to implement a proposal presented by President Joe Biden on May 31.
Israeli officials said they saw this as the “last chance” to reach a compromise and that their mandate had been expanded somewhat.
CIA Director William Burns was due to attend after the US, British, French and German ambassadors made a joint appeal to get the deal done.
Although Hamas is not participating, intermediaries from Egypt and Qatar maintain close contacts with the terrorist group, and it is still hoped that they can persuade Hamas to reach an agreement.
John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, said this was the moment “when things get toughest and most dire”. He added: “Hopefully we’ll make some progress here in the coming hours and days.”
There is added pressure because Iran has said it will attack Israel directly if the peace talks fail. Tehran had promised to take revenge for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh last month, but is delaying it depending on the negotiations.
Last week, the mediators called on Israel and Hamas to resume talks, saying that a framework agreement was now “on the table, with only the implementation details still to be finalized” and that they had a bridging proposal to overcome their differences.
The first phase of the agreement includes a six-week āfull and complete ceasefireā and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from populated areas in Gaza.
At this point all female hostages, the elderly, the sick and the wounded are exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
The second phase would involve the release of all other living hostages and a āpermanent cessation of hostilitiesā before a third phase of reconstruction of Gaza would begin and the dead hostages would be returned.
Hamas has said it “will not start negotiations for the sake of negotiations, in order to provide Israel with cover to continue the war.”
Netanyahu was accused of having āadded new conditionsā and rejected Bidenās plans, a claim fiercely contested by the Israeli prime minister.
A boy sits in a trailer in a makeshift camp for displaced people in Gaza on August 13, 2024
Smoke rises in Gaza City on October 12, 2023, five days after Hamas invaded Israel
A man mourns the robe of a relative in Gaza City on August 10
There is growing fear of a regional war if both sides cannot reach a compromise.
David Lammy will land in Tel Aviv today to meet his Israeli and French counterparts.
The British Foreign Secretary said: ‘We are at a crucial time for global stability. The coming hours and days could determine the future of the Middle East.
‘That is why today, and every day, we urge our partners in the region to choose peace.’
He will meet Israel Katz and Stephane Sejourne as he urges diplomats to strike a deal in Doha.
āThese talks present an opportunity to secure an immediate ceasefire that will protect civilians in Gaza, secure the release of hostages still brutally held by Hamas, and restore stability at a dangerous time for the region,ā he said.
‘The UK will continue to use all diplomatic means to achieve a ceasefire.’