Ministers urge return to war after Hamas hostage body hoax

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused Hamas of “cruelly playing with the feelings” of hostage families.

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene an emergency Cabinet meeting later today after Hamas blatantly violated the ceasefire by falsely claiming it was returning the body of a hostage — when the remains turned out to be the partial remains of a deceased captive previously repatriated to Israel.

According to Hebrew-language media reports, among the punitive measures Israel is considering taking against Hamas is shifting the so-called “yellow line,” allowing the IDF to assume control over additional Gazan territory from which it previously withdrew under the terms of the ceasefire earlier in October.

Several of Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition partners are now urging a return to fighting, arguing that Hamas has clearly demonstrated its unwillingness to uphold the agreement.

“The fact that Hamas continues to play games and does not immediately transfer all the bodies of our fallen is in itself evidence that the terror organization is still standing,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a media statement.

Ben-Gvir stressed that Netanyahu should “give the order” to resume full-scale military operations against Hamas, aimed at achieving a decisive victory over the terror group.

“Hamas cannot be allowed to taunt the citizens of Israel and cruelly play with the feelings of the families of the fallen hostages,” wrote Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on social media.

Smotrich urged a return to the original goal of the war: “the destruction of Hamas and the removal of the threat emanating from Gaza toward the citizens of Israel.”

Under Phase One of the U.S.-brokered truce, Hamas is obligated to return the bodies of all deceased hostages — 13 of whom remain in the Gaza Strip.

While Hamas claims it does not know the locations of all the bodies, Israeli intelligence officials have dismissed that claim, saying Hamas is deliberately stalling.

According to Israeli assessments, Hamas is using the remains as “bargaining chips” to gain leverage over Israel and delay the first phase of the ceasefire.

Once all bodies are returned, the truce would enter Phase Two, requiring Hamas to disarm and transfer governance of the Strip to another entity—something the terror group appears intent on postponing indefinitely.