Israel retrieves remains of last Gaza hostage – IDF

The recovery of the final hostage was meant to conclude the first phase of Donald Trump’s peace plan, but West Jerusalem has set other conditions

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have retrieved the body of the last hostage held by Hamas, completing what was meant to be the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war. Forensic tests confirmed the remains belong to Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, the military said on Monday.

Gvili’s body will now be returned for burial, according to the IDF.

Under Trump’s original framework signed in October, the return of all hostages living and dead was supposed to conclude the first phase of the deal. Yet even before Gvili’s remains were recovered, the Trump administration announced that the agreement was shifting into its second phase, which was described as focusing on Gaza’s reconstruction and demilitarization.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the recovery of Gvili’s remains, but says the next part of the plan is not about rebuilding Gaza at all. “The next phase is not reconstruction,” he said. “The next phase is disarming Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.”

Hamas has said its militants had helped locate the body, calling the act “confirmation of our commitment to the ceasefire.”

During the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, 251 hostages were taken and around 1,200 people were killed. Israel responded with a massive military campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians and wounded over 171,000, according to the local health authorities.

When Trump’s deal was signed in October, 48 hostages were still believed to be in Gaza, with 28 of them presumed dead, including Gvili.