Israel fed up with Hamas ‘lies,’ considering steps against terror group for violating ceasefire from day 1, official says

Hamas has been violating the terms of the Gaza ceasefire since day one, the Prime Minister’s Office tells The Times of Israel, but now Israel is fed up with Hamas “lies.”

The return last night of more remains of a hostage whose body was already recovered is not the only reason for Israel meeting to decide on measures against Hamas, says a senior PMO official. “The issue is that they have been violating for two weeks.”

“We waited patiently, because we understood that it takes time to locate, to dig, to extract, to return,” says the official. “All of this takes time.”

“But here, they’re crossing a red line,” says the official.

The IDF captured video yesterday of Hamas digging a hole in Gaza, bringing the remains of slain hostage Ofir Tzarfati there, and then calling the Red Cross to witness the apparent retrieval.

The “modus operandi of Hamas has been revealed,” says the PMO official. “It’s all a big show. It’s just like their ‘starvation’ campaign.”

“They stage everything, everything is a lie.”

“We proved in black and white, in color even, in pictures, how much they are lying,” says the official. “There is no bigger lie than taking a bulldozer and digging up a grave, putting [a body] inside, then covering it. It’s a big deal.”

The Egyptian team — which included a Hamas official — looking for slain hostages in Israeli-controlled territory in Gaza has left the area, says the PMO official.

Before coordinating with the US on sanctions, says the official, “first of all, we need to make a decision what we’re going to do, and if it even needs coordination.”