Israel Recovers Remains Of Final Gaza Hostage Ran Gvili

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Jan. 26 that it had identified and returned the body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, 24, after exhuming graves in a cemetery near Gaza City, completing the return of all hostages from the Gaza Strip.

Israeli officials and ceasefire mediators said the retrieval clears the way for phase two of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire under President Donald Trump's peace plan, which calls for Gaza reconstruction and the disarmament of Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the recovery in a parliamentary statement saying "we brought them all back," while Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement that the discovery "confirms Hamas's commitment" to the ceasefire amid Israeli accusations that Hamas delayed recovery efforts.

According to Israeli authorities, 251 people were taken hostage in the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, of whom 20 living hostages and the remains of 27 others had been returned before Gvili's remains were found, while Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry says 71,660 Palestinians have died since 2023.

Netanyahu's office said Israel will reopen the Rafah crossing for pedestrian passage only after a full Israeli inspection mechanism is in place, and diplomats said negotiations over an international stabilization force, governance and Hamas disarmament will determine the timing of phase-two steps.