Israel says it recovered remains of final hostage in Gaza

Israel has retrieved the remains of the final 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.

Earlier, Israel said that it will reopen Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the enclave’s main gateway to the world, once Gvili’s remains are returned or the search operation for his body concludes.

The announcement that the remains of 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 to locate them. Hospital officials said a Palestinian man was fatally shot by Israel’s military near the area of the operation.

Gvili had been held in Gaza since he was killed at Kibbutz Alumim during Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire in October under pressure from regional powers and Trump, who called the deal a first step toward a “strong, durable and everlasting peace.”

At the time of the deal, 48 hostages remained in Gaza, 28 of them believed dead, including Gvili. Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer known affectionately as “Rani,” was killed while fighting Hamas.

Israel and Hamas had been under pressure from ceasefire mediators, including Washington, to move into the second phase of the U.S.-brokered truce, which took effect on Oct. 10, 2025.

Even before Gvili’s body had been found, the Trump administration announced the deal would move on to its next phase, which is meant to include reconstruction of Gaza and demilitarization of the territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “an incredible achievement” for Israel and its soldiers, telling Israeli media, “I promised we would bring everyone home, and we have brought everyone home.” He said Gvili, who was killed during the Hamas-led attack that sparked the war, was among the first to be taken into 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 remains were recovered and returned.

Israel had repeatedly accused Hamas of dragging its feet in the recovery of the final hostage. Hamas said it had provided all the information it had about Gvili’s remains, and accused Israel of obstructing efforts to search for them in areas of Gaza under Israeli military control.

Israel’s military had said the large-scale operation to locate Gvili’s remains was “in the area of the Yellow Line” that divides the territory.

In a statement, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the discovery of Gvili’s remains confirms Hamas’s 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.

Israel’s announcement came as Al-Shifa Hospital officials said that Israeli forces fatally shot a man in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighbourhood. The hospital, which received the body, said that the man was close to an area where the military had launched the search operation for Gvili.

Another man was killed in the eastern side of Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, which received his body. The circumstances of his death were not immediately clear.

Israel’s offensive has killed more than 71,400 Palestinians since 2023, with more than 480 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since Oct. 10, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.