The Israeli army launched a “major operation” in Gaza on Sunday to locate the last remaining hostage. This comes as Washington and other mediators intensify pressure on Israel and Hamas to move on to the next phase of their ceasefire deal.
The operation coincides with Israel’s cabinet meeting to discuss the reopening of the crucial Rafah border crossing with Egypt. This follows talks between top US envoys and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the previous day, in which future steps were discussed.
The return of Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage, is widely seen as the final obstacle to opening the Rafah crossing, a move that would herald the second phase of the ceasefire.
The return of all remaining hostages, living or dead, was a central part of the first phase of the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10. Before Sunday, the previous hostage was recovered in early December.
Although Israel has conducted previous search efforts for Gvili, more details than usual have been released. The Israeli army said it was searching a cemetery in northern Gaza, near the Yellow Line, which marks Israeli-controlled parts of the territory.
In addition, an Israeli military official said Gvili may be buried in the Shujaiyya-Daraj Tuffah area, and that rabbis and dental experts were on the scene with specialized search teams. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing an ongoing operation.
Gvili’s family has urged Netanyahu’s government not to enter the second phase of the ceasefire until his remains are returned.
But pressure is mounting and the Trump administration has already declared in recent days that the second phase is underway.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of dragging its feet in retrieving the last hostage. Hamas said in a statement on Sunday that it had provided all information it had about Gvili’s remains, and accused Israel of hampering efforts to search for them in areas of Gaza under Israeli military control.
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