Israel says it has retrieved remains of final Gaza hostage Ran Gvili
The Israeli army said it had recovered the body of the last hostage in Gaza, paving the way for the start of the next phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
He had been searching for Master Sergeant Ran Gvili since the ceasefire with Hamas began in October.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Gvili’s return “an extraordinary achievement.”
The Israeli army launched a new operation to find Gvili on Sunday. Earlier, Hamas’s armed wing said it had provided mediators with “all details and information” about Gvili’s whereabouts.
Netanyahu’s office said: Israel to reopen Gaza’s key border crossing with Egypt Once the operation to find and bring back Gvili is complete.
Netanyahu welcomed the return of Gvili’s body and said: “We promised and I promised that we would bring everyone back. We brought them all back, down to the last captive.”
The Israeli military said clarification of available intelligence over the weekend allowed it to search a cemetery near Gaza City.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Kasim said the discovery of the body “confirms Hamas’ commitment to all terms of the ceasefire agreement.”
Gvili’s recapture gives new impetus to Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza. Israel had resisted advancing until Gvili was found.
The second phase involves the reconstruction and complete demilitarization of Gaza, including the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian groups. The plan also includes the deployment of a yet-to-be-established International Stabilization Force (ISF) and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Gvili’s rescue in a statement: “According to the information and intelligence we have, Sergeant Maj (res) Ran Gvili… a Yamam commando fighter, who was 24 years old at the time of his death, fell in battle on the morning of October 7, 2023, and his body was smuggled to the Gaza Strip.”
“The IDF shares the family’s pain. The IDF will continue to accompany the families and returning hostages and take action to strengthen the security of Israeli citizens.
“With this, all hostages in the Gaza Strip area were returned.”
Hamas was required to bring back all hostages, alive and dead, within 72 hours of the ceasefire taking effect. Twenty living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 27 dead Israeli and foreign hostages were surrendered, leaving only Gvili missing.
The policeman was one of 251 hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed. Most of the hostages were released alive in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 Gaza detainees over the next two years.
The Hamas-run health ministry said Israel’s military operation in Gaza in response to the attack killed 71,660 Palestinians.
