Israel Recovers Last Hostage’s Remains In Gaza, Opening Way For 2nd Ceasefire Phase

JERUSALEM (AP) — The remains of the last hostage in Gaza have been recovered, the Israeli military said Monday, paving the way for efforts to rebuild Gaza and disarm Hamas in the next phase of the war. truce this paused Israel-Hamas war.

Announcement regarding the police officer’s funeral Ran Gvili The discovery and identification of the men came a day after the Israeli government said the army was conducting a “large-scale operation” in a cemetery in northern Gaza to locate them.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it an “incredible success” for Israel and its soldiers, telling Israeli media, “I promised we would bring everyone home, and we brought everyone home.” He said Gvili, who was killed during the attack that sparked the Hamas-led war on October 7, 2023, was killed. among the firsts He will be taken to Gaza.

The return of all remaining hostages, alive or dead, was an important part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire. Gvili’s family had called on the Israeli government not to enter Israel. second stage until his remains were found and brought back.

Hamas said it now adhered to all the terms of the first phase of the ceasefire.

The second phase of the ceasefire will confront tougher issues, including the transition to a new governing structure in Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas, which has ruled the region for nearly two decades.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Sunday that once the search for Gvili is completed, Israel will open the Rafah border gate between Gaza and Egypt, which Palestinians see as a lifeline to the world. It has been largely shut down since May 2024, except for a brief period in early 2025.

Palestinians in Gaza said Monday they hoped the recovery of the remains would open the Rafah crossing and allow travel to and from Gaza as well as the evacuation of people needing medical care.

“We hope this will remove Israel’s excuses and open the gateway,” said Abdel-Rahman Radwan, a Gaza City resident whose mother has cancer and needs treatment outside Gaza.

Father Ahmed Ruqab, who lives in a tent in the Nuseyrat refugee camp with his family of six, called on mediators and the United States to pressure Israel to allow more aid and caravans to be sent to Gaza.

“We need to turn the page and start over,” he said over the phone.

Israel and Hamas were under pressure from ceasefire mediators, including Washington, to move into the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire, which will take effect on October 10.

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of dragging its feet in the rescue of the last hostage. Hamas said it had provided all the information it had on Gvili’s remains and accused Israel of obstructing efforts to search for them in areas of Gaza under Israeli military control.

The Israeli military said the large-scale operation to find Gvili’s remains was in the “Yellow Line area” that divides the area.

Approximately 1,200 people died and 251 people were taken hostage in the attack on Israel in October 2023 that started the war. Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer affectionately known as “Rani”, was killed while fighting Hamas militants.

Before Gvili’s remains were found, the remains of 20 living hostages and 27 others had been returned to Israel since the ceasefire, most recently in early December. In return, Israel released the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians into Gaza.

Israeli forces fatally shot a man in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood on Monday, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the body. The hospital said the man was close to the area where the military launched its search operation for Gvili.

Another man was killed on the eastern side of the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to the Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital, which accepted his body. The circumstances of his death were not immediately clear.

Palestinians in Gaza who spoke to The Associated Press in recent weeks questioned whether moving to a second phase of the ceasefire would improve conditions on the ground, citing ongoing bloodshed and difficulties meeting basic needs.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israeli attacks have killed more than 71,400 Palestinians since 2023; More than 480 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the last ceasefire began. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are generally considered reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.

The Foreign Press Association asked Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday to allow journalists to enter Gaza freely and independently.

FPA, which represents dozens of global news organizations, has been fighting for independent media access to Gaza for more than two years. Israel has banned journalists from entering Gaza independently since Hamas attacks that triggered the war in 2023, saying entry could put both journalists and soldiers at risk.

The army offered occasional short visits to journalists under strict military supervision.

FPA lawyers told the three-judge panel that the restrictions were not justified and that journalists should also be allowed in because aid workers travel in and out of Gaza. They also said that tightly controlled deployments with the military could not replace independent access. The judges are expected to decide in the coming days.