Israel said on Sunday it was conducting a “large-scale operation” to locate the last hostage in Gaza, and that it would subsequently allow a “limited reopening” of the Rafah crossing between the Strip and Egypt once it recovered the remains.
Over the weekend, US envoys had met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly pressing Israel to reopen the crossing. The return of the body of Israeli soldier Ran Gvili had been a remaining obstacle preventing Israel from doing so.
The crossing, which was supposed to reopen in October as part of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire, is a vital entry point for aid into Gaza. It has been under Israeli military control since 2024.
World leader and aid organisations have repeatedly called for more aid to be delivered to the devastated Palestinian territory. Pressure to open the crossing has been building, as Trump announced this month that the second phase of the ceasefire is underway.
Netanyahu’s office has now said that Israel agreed to a reopening “for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism.” It provided no further details on how long the operation would last, but Israeli military officials were quoted in local media saying it could take days to complete.
Israel’s military said on Sunday it was searching a cemetery in northern Gaza near the “yellow line,” which marks off Israeli-controlled parts of the Palestinian territory.
An Israeli military official said specialised search teams, along with dental experts and rabbis, were also on the ground in the Shijaiya-Tuffah area of Gaza City, another location where Gvili is believed to have been buried.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of delaying the recovery of the final hostage, however Hamas said it had been transparent regarding the information it had given about Gvili’s remains. The militant group also accused Israel of obstructing efforts to search for them in the in areas of the enclave that are under Israeli military control.
UNRWA headquarters set ablaze
Meanwhile, the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem was set on fire, days after Israeli bulldozers began demolitions of the compound.
“After having been stormed and demolished by the Israeli authorities, the UNRWA Headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem has now been set on fire,” the agency wrote in a statement on Sunday.
“Allowing this unprecedented destruction is the latest attack on the UN in the ongoing attempt to dismantle the status of Palestine Refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and erase their history,” it added.
While it is not known who started the fire, Roland Friedrich, the agency’s West Bank director said Israeli settlers were seen at night looting the main building for furniture.
In May 2024, UNRWA closed its compound after Israeli settlers set fire twice to the perimetre of the building, causing extensive damage.
Additional sources • AP, AFP