By Alexander Cornwell
JERUSALEM, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Israel has retrieved the remains of the last remaining hostage held in Gaza, the military said on Monday, fulfilling a key condition of the initial phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war.
The remains of police officer Ran Gvili have been identified and will be returned for burial, the military said in a statement.
Gvili’s remains had been held in Gaza since he was killed during Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group led an attack on southern Israeli communities, triggering a two-year Israeli offensive.
Israel has said it will reopen Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the enclave’s main gateway to the world, once the search operation for Gvili’s remains was completed.
A government spokesperson had no immediate comment when asked when the border crossing would be reopened.
The Palestinian committee of technocrats backed by the U.S. to administer Gaza has said the border would open this week.
NEXT PHASE OF DEAL
Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire in October that was meant to see a complete halt in fighting as well as the return of all living and deceased hostages in exchange for the release of some Palestinians held in Israeli detention.
Gvili was one of the 251 hostages seized and taken to Gaza by militants during the October 7, 2023 attack. At the time of the deal, 48 hostages remained in Gaza, 28 of them believed dead, including Gvili.
Even before Gvili’s body had been found, the Trump administration announced that the deal would move on to its next phase, which is meant to include reconstruction of Gaza and demilitarization of the territory.
In a statement, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the discovery of Gvili’s remains confirms Hamas’ commitment to the U.S. plan to end the war.
“We will continue to uphold all aspects of the agreement, including facilitating the work of the national Gaza administration and ensuring its success,” Qassem said, referring to the committee of technocrats.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Rami Ayyub, and Aidan Lewis)
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