Israeli ‘large scale operation’ to find last hostage
Israel says its military is conducting a “large-scale operation” to locate the last hostage in the Gaza Strip, as the United States and other mediators press Israel and Hamas to move to the next phase of the ceasefire.
The statement came a day after Israel’s cabinet met to discuss the possibility of opening the Gaza Strip’s key Rafah border crossing with Egypt and senior US envoys met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on next steps.
The return of the remaining hostage Ran Gvili is seen as the removal of the last obstacle to progress towards opening the Rafah crossing, which will signal the second phase of the ceasefire.
IDF troops launched a targeted operation in the Yellow Line area of northern Gaza to retrieve the body of Sergeant First Class Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage in Gaza. Please refrain from spreading rumors and false reports that could harm the Gvili family…— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 25, 2026
The return of all remaining hostages, alive or dead, became a central part of the first phase of the ceasefire that came into force on 10 October.
Before Sunday, the previous hostage had been rescued in early December.
Although Israel has carried out the search for Gvili before, more details have emerged about this issue than ever before.
The Israeli army said it carried out a search of a cemetery in the northern Gaza Strip, near the Yellow Line, which defines parts of the area under Israeli control.
Separately, an Israeli military official said Gvili may have been buried in the Shujaiyya-Daraj Tuffah area and that rabbis and dentists were at the site along with special search teams.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing an ongoing operation.
Gvili’s family called on the Israeli government not to enter the second phase of the ceasefire until Gvili’s body is returned.
But the pressure is increasing and the US administration recently announced the start of the second phase.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of dragging its feet in the rescue of the last hostage.
Hamas said in a statement on Sunday that it had provided all the information it had about Gvili’s remains and accused Israel of obstructing efforts to search for them in areas under Israeli military control in the Gaza Strip.
