KEY POINTS
- Israel’s military recovered remains of last Israeli hostage held in Gaza.
- Recovery completes the hostage phase of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
- Hamas said the identification confirmed its commitment to ceasefire.
- Israel said the Rafah crossing would reopen on limited basis for pedestrian passage only.
- US described talks on the next phase of the truce as “constructive”.
GAZA CITY, Palestine: The Israeli military said on Monday it had recovered the remains of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli captive held in the Gaza Strip, completing the hostage component of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement and clearing the way for the next phase of the truce.
Army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the identification process had been completed by Israel’s National Center of Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, after which the family was informed that Gvili’s body had been returned for burial.
“Thus, all the hostages held in the Gaza Strip have been repatriated,” Adraee said.
Gvili, 24, was a non-commissioned officer in the Israeli police’s elite Yasam special unit. He was killed during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, and his body was taken into Gaza.
Netanyahu hails ‘great achievement’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the military operation, calling the recovery of the remains a “great achievement”.
“As I informed the Ran Gvili family, I am pleased to report that our forces have located his body and it is now on its way home,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
“As I promised you before, we have brought back all the hostages. This is an extraordinary achievement for the State of Israel.”
Deputy Prime Minister Sharren Haskel said the return of Gvili’s remains marked “the first and necessary step at the beginning of the rehabilitation process for Israeli society”, adding that it brought essential closure for the family.
Hamas’s commitment to ceasefire
Hamas said the identification of Gvili’s remains confirmed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement.
“We will continue to adhere to all aspects of the agreement, including facilitating the work of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and ensuring its success,” the Palestinian group said in a statement.
Hamas also called on mediators and the United States to pressure Israel to end violations of the truce and to implement its obligations.
Earlier, Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said the group had provided mediators with “all the details and information” it possessed regarding the location of Gvili’s body.
He said Israeli forces were searching a site based on that information.
Reopening of Rafah crossing
The recovery of the last hostage had been a key Israeli condition for reopening the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, a vital route for humanitarian aid.
Netanyahu’s office said Israel would reopen Rafah on a “limited basis for pedestrian passage only”, subject to full Israeli inspection mechanisms.
It remained unclear whether medical patients would be allowed to leave Gaza for treatment abroad.
The reopening of Rafah is part of a truce framework announced by US President Donald Trump in October, but the crossing has remained closed since Israeli forces took control of it during the war.
Gaza’s newly appointed administrator, Ali Shaath, said earlier this week that the crossing would open “in both directions”, calling it a lifeline for Palestinians.
Before the war, Rafah was Gaza’s only gateway to the outside world for people and aid.
International diplomacy
On Sunday the United States said talks with Netanyahu on the second phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan were “constructive and positive”.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said discussions held in Jerusalem focused on next steps and regional cooperation.
Yesterday, a U.S. delegation including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor Aryeh Lightstone, and White House advisor Josh Gruenbaum met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The discussion focused on the continued progress and implementation planning for…
— Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) January 25, 2026
Israeli media reported that Witkoff and US envoy Jared Kushner pressed Israel to reopen Rafah, even before the recovery of the last hostage.
Reuters, citing three sources briefed on the matter, reported that Israel wants to limit the number of Palestinians entering Gaza from Egypt and seeks to establish a military checkpoint near the border.
The crossing could be staffed by Palestinian Authority-affiliated personnel and monitored by European Union officials, as in a previous ceasefire.
Death toll and ongoing violence
Since October 7, 2023, Israeli military offensive has killed at least 71,657 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 171,000 in Gaza, according to Gaza’s health ministry, figures the United Nations considers reliable.
Despite the ceasefire, Gaza health officials say Israeli strikes have continued.
Since the truce took effect in October 2025, at least 484 people have been killed and 1,321 injured, according to Palestinian authorities.
The United Nations has warned that Gaza faces a deepening humanitarian crisis, with severe shortages of food, medical supplies and reproductive health services affecting hundreds of thousands of women and children.
