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The body of the final hostage in Gaza Ran Gvili has been recovered, Israel’s military said on Monday, clearing the way for the next phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza.
The announcement that Gvili had been found and identified came a day after Israel’s government said the military was conducting a “large-scale operation” in a cemetery in northern Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “an incredible achievement” for his country and its soldiers, telling domestic media that “I promised we would bring everyone home and we have brought everyone home.”
He said Gvili, who was killed during the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023, was among the first hostages to be taken to Gaza.
The return of all remaining hostages, living or dead, has been a key part of the Gaza ceasefire’s first phase and Gvili’s family had urged Israel’s government not to enter the second phase until his body was recovered and returned.
Israel and Hamas had been under pressure from ceasefire mediators including Washington to move into the second phase of the US-brokered truce, which took effect on 10 October.
Israel had repeatedly accused Hamas of dragging its feet in the recovery of the final hostage, while Hamas said it had provided all the information it had about Gvili.
Israel’s military had said the large-scale operation to locate Gvili was “in the area of the Yellow Line” that divides the territory.
Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer known affectionately as “Rani,” was killed while fighting Hamas militants.
Before his remains were recovered, 20 living hostages and the bodies of 27 others had been returned to Israel since the ceasefire, most recently in early December.
The next phase of the 20-point ceasefire plan is seen as trickier and calls for creating an international stabilisation force, forming a technocratic Palestinian government and disarming Hamas.
Additional sources • AP