E-Paper
Israel finds body of last hostage after Gaza graves dug up; Trump says ‘amazing job’
Israel’s military said on Monday that the remains of the final hostage held in Gaza had been recovered.
US President Donald Trump commented on the recovery of the remains of the final hostage held in Gaza, after Israel’s military said on Monday that the body had been located and identified.
“Just recovered the last Hostage body in GAZA. Thus, got back ALL 20 of the living Hostages, and ALL of the Dead! AMAZING JOB! Most thought of it as an impossible thing to do. Congratulations to my great team of Champions!!! President DJT”, Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The confirmation that the remains of Ran Gvili had been located and identified came a day after the Israeli government said the military was carrying out a “large-scale operation” in a cemetery in northern Gaza to search for them, according to a Reuters report.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the recovery “an incredible achievement” for Israel and its soldiers, stating that “I promised we would bring everyone home and we have brought everyone home."
He added Gvili was among the first to be taken into Gaza and killed during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
Israeli military dug up graves, removed bodies
Israeli teams had been searching a cemetery in Gaza on Monday for the remains of the final hostage, the military said, after Hamas claimed it had fulfilled all its obligations under the ceasefire agreement by searching areas of the territory not under Israeli troop control, AP reported.
The operation represented a last-ditch effort by Israel to recover the body of Ran Gvili, as Washington and other mediators stepped up pressure to advance the US-brokered ceasefire deal.
Two residents of Gaza City said the search focused on a cemetery in the Tuffah neighbourhood containing hundreds of graves. The residents, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, said Israeli forces dug up graves at the Batsh Cemetery, removing bodies and leaving them exposed.
Also Read | Israel launches 'large scale operation' to locate last hostage in Gaza
Rabbis and dental experts had joined in search too
Israeli fire killed two Palestinians in Gaza on Monday, according to local health authorities, and Israel’s Supreme Court heard a petition seeking independent access to Gaza for foreign media.
An Israeli military official said the search for Gvili’s remains began over the weekend in the Shuja’iyya, Daraj and Tuffah areas, based on intelligence assessments.
Rabbis and dental experts joined the troops to assist with identification, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the operation is ongoing.
Israeli military officials were quoted in local media as saying the operation could take several days.
Hamas said it had searched for Gvili’s body in areas on its side of the ceasefire line, which runs through Gaza.
Under the agreement, Israeli troops control the eastern part of the territory.
Hamas said on Sunday it had provided mediators with all the information it had about Gvili’s location and claimed Israel was now searching one of the sites it had identified, across the ceasefire line where Hamas is not permitted.
The return of all remaining hostages, alive or dead, is a central component of the first phase of the ceasefire that came into effect on Oct. 10. The previous hostage was recovered in early December.
Opening the Rafah crossing is also a key part of the agreement and is widely seen by Palestinians as their main link to the outside world. The crossing remained closed on Monday. It has been largely shut to movement in and out of Gaza since May 2024, except for a brief period in early 2025.
Gvili’s family has urged Netanyahu’s government not to proceed to the second phase of the ceasefire until his remains are returned. However, international pressure has intensified, and the Trump administration has said in recent days that the second phase is already underway.
