Israel Recovers Body of Last Captive in Gaza as Hamas Reaffirms Ceasefire Commitment
NEWS
Israel announced the recovery of the body of its last captive in Gaza, while Hamas said the development confirms its full commitment to the ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli army announced on Monday that it has recovered the body of the last Israeli captive held in the Gaza Strip, identifying the remains as those of Ran Gvili, an officer who was killed on October 7, 2023.
In a statement, the Israeli military said the body was identified following forensic examinations conducted by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, in coordination with Israeli police and the military rabbinate. The army said Gvili’s family had been informed and that the body would be returned for burial.
According to the Israeli army, intelligence assessments indicate that Gvili, who served in the Yasam special patrol unit of the Israeli police and was 24 years old at the time of his death, was killed during fighting on the morning of October 7.
The military said the recovery of Gvili’s body marks the conclusion of efforts to retrieve all Israeli captives and remains from Gaza, declaring that the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect in October, has now been completed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the recovery as a “historic achievement,” saying, “As I promised, we brought everyone back.” He added that Israel’s next priority is the second phase, which he said must focus on the disarmament of Hamas and turning Gaza into a demilitarized zone, rather than reconstruction.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed the statement, saying, “We promised and fulfilled our promise until the last hostage,” according to Israeli media.
Israeli Army Radio reported that the operation to locate Gvili’s body lasted approximately 48 hours, beginning early Saturday. According to the broadcaster, Israeli forces searched a cemetery in al-Shuja’iyya, east of Gaza City, examining roughly 250 bodies before identifying Gvili’s remains.
Israeli media said the identification process required two separate forensic confirmations before the announcement was made public.
Channel 12 reported that the search took place in burial grounds between the neighborhoods of al-Daraj, al-Tuffah, and al-Shuja’iyya, describing the operation as complex and likely to have extended over several days.
Hamas Statement
In response, the Palestinian Resistance Hamas said the recovery of the body confirms the movement’s full compliance with the ceasefire agreement.
In a statement, the group said it had fulfilled all obligations related to the captive and remains file and had acted with full transparency throughout the process. Hamas reiterated its commitment to all aspects of the agreement, including facilitating the work of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
The movement called on mediators and the United States to compel Israel to halt ongoing violations of the ceasefire and to implement all outstanding obligations.
A day earlier, the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, said it had provided mediators with all information and details regarding the location of Gvili’s body. Abu Obeida, the group’s military spokesperson, said Israeli search operations underway were based on information shared by the resistance, confirming the accuracy of its statements.
For months, Israel had linked the reopening of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to the recovery of the body of its last captive.
On Saturday, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Israel for talks with Netanyahu on the next steps of the ceasefire agreement. Israeli sources said Washington pressed for reopening Rafah, a key lifeline for Gaza.
In May 2024, Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah crossing during a ground assault on the city of Rafah, closing the crossing and destroying much of its infrastructure. Since then, the crossing has remained largely closed.
Last week, Ali Shaath, head of Gaza’s National Administration Committee, said Rafah would reopen next week, though details of the mechanism have not been publicly confirmed by Israel.
Ceasefire Phases
Under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, Palestinian factions released all Israeli captives held alive and returned the remains of 27 others, leaving Gvili as the final unresolved case.
The second phase of the agreement includes provisions for a further Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, the start of reconstruction efforts—estimated by the UN to cost around $70 billion—and negotiations over Gaza’s future governance.
Despite the ceasefire framework, Israeli attacks have continued. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli military operations since October 2023 have killed more than 71,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and wounded over 171,000.
(AA, AJA, PC, QNN, Israeli Media)
Israel will manufacture some other “excuse” for murder.
It is clear that Hamas has completed its requirements in the "fake" peace plan. However, Israel has not even started to fulfil its requirements - murders daily, forced starvation and blocking medical care and the genocide has continued. The deceiving Zionist State should never be trusted.
Just quietly, what has Israel done with the thousands of Palestinian bodies arising from deaths in its hell hole prisons plus when will the 10,000 living Palestinians be released from Israeli prisons?
How about Israel showing respect and compliance with International Law?