The day opened with the return of a deceased hostage's coffin, which was quickly revealed to contain remains of Ofir Tzarfati, a hostage already returned in December 2023. This deception, widely reported and captured by IDF drone footage showing Hamas staging the discovery, sparked anger and led Prime Minister Netanyahu to convene urgent security consultations. Concurrently, Hamas announced it would return another deceased hostage later in the evening. However, this commitment was soon retracted following renewed heavy exchanges of fire in Rafah, as Hamas forces violated the ceasefire by attacking Israeli troops. Netanyahu ordered "powerful strikes" in Gaza in response, with US Vice President Vance supporting Israel's right to retaliate. The day ended with Hamas claiming to have located the remains of Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch.