Remains of last Israeli hostage found in Gaza, says military

Israel has retrieved the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza, the country’s military has said.

An Israeli official told Reuters that the remains of 24-year-old police officer Ran Gvili had been discovered on Monday, bringing an end to the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire plan between Israel and Hamas.

Mr Gvili’s corpse will now be returned for burial, the military said in a statement.

Israel previously said Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the most popular crossing for entering and leaving the enclave, would be opened once Mr Gvili’s remains were returned.

Gvili had been held in Gaza since he was killed at Kibbutz Alumim during Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

On Sunday, the military launched a “large-scale operation” in Gaza to locate his body, after Washington and other mediators intensified pressure on Israel and Hamas to progress to the next phase of their ceasefire agreement.

In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said Mr Gvili was a “true friend, loved by everyone” who carried a “powerful yet calm presence”.

His release came as part of a ceasefire deal agreed in October, which was supposed to see the Israeli military halt all operations while Palestinian militant group Hamas returned the remaining 48 hostages, including 28 who were already dead.

The living hostages were freed in the weeks following, but Hamas said it had been unable to locate the body of the the final hostage.

The return of Ran Gvili is should prompt Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reopen the Rafah crossing, signalling a move to the ceasefire’s second phase.

But Israel wants to ensure more Palestinians leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing than are allowed back in, three sources briefed on the matter told Reuters news agency.

Ali Shaath, the chief of a US-backed transitional Palestinian committee to temporarily administer Gaza, said the crossing would open this week.

The border was supposed to have been opened during the first phase of the ceasefire.