Israel has recovered the remains of the last remaining hostage held in Gaza, the military said on Monday, fulfilling a key condition of the initial phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the Palestinian territory.
The remains of police officer Ran Gvili — held in Gaza for more than 840 days — have been identified and will be returned for burial, the military said in a statement.
The recovery of the remains could pave the way for a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the devastated enclave's main gateway to the outside world, in line with Israeli pledges.
The Palestinian committee of technocrats backed by the US to administer Gaza has said the border crossing would open this week.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the crossing would reopen when the recovery operation was complete, but did not provide a timeline.
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.
Footage aired on Israeli news channels showed dozens of soldiers arm in arm, purportedly at the site in Gaza where the body was discovered, singing a Hebrew song expressing Jewish hope and faith.
Another image from Gaza showed what appeared to be a casket draped in the Israeli flag, surrounded by soldiers. In social media posts on Monday, Gvili's mother Talik called her son a hero.
Gvili was off duty on October 7, recovering from an injury, when he was killed fighting the Gaza militants.
Netanyahu, speaking to reporters at the Knesset, described the discovery of Gvili's remains as an "unbelievable achievement for the State of Israel".
Next phase of the deal
Gvili was one of the 251 hostages seized and taken to Gaza by militants during the October 7, 2023 attack. At the time of a ceasefire deal that Israel and Hamas agreed in October, 48 hostages remained in Gaza, 28 of them believed dead, including Gvili.
Handing over all the remaining living and dead hostages was a core commitment of the first phase of the deal, though other parts have not been fulfilled and there are huge splits over what comes next.
Before Gvili's body had been found, the Trump administration announced that the US-led plan to end the war 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 plan.
"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.
The Hamas-led attack in October 2023 killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's assault has since killed at least 71,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health authorities say.
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