Israel’s military announced on Monday that the remains of the final hostage held in Gaza have been recovered, meeting a crucial requirement of U.S. President Donald Trump’s strategy to end the conflict in the region. The recovered remains belong to police officer Ran Gvili, who had been held in Gaza for over 840 days and will now be returned for burial, confirmed the military.
This development sets the stage for a potential partial reopening of the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the primary access point for the enclave to the outside world, as per Israeli commitments. The Palestinian technocratic committee, supported by the U.S. to oversee Gaza, indicated that the border crossing is slated to reopen this week, although there was no immediate response from the government on the specific timing.
Gvili’s remains had been in Gaza since his death during an attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, targeting southern Israeli communities and triggering a two-year Israeli military campaign. Images broadcast on Israeli news outlets depicted soldiers gathered at the site in Gaza where the body was found, singing a Hebrew song of hope and faith.
A separate image from Gaza displayed what appeared to be a casket draped in the Israeli flag, surrounded by soldiers, while Gvili’s mother, Talik, referred to her son as a hero in social media posts. Gvili, who was off-duty at the time of the assault due to an injury, was killed while confronting the militants.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the discovery of Gvili’s remains as a significant accomplishment for the state, emphasizing Gvili’s heroism and sacrifice. Gvili was among 251 hostages taken to Gaza by militants during the 2023 attack, which claimed 1,200 lives according to Israeli records. Israel’s subsequent military operations led to the deaths of over 71,400 Palestinians, with more than 480 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since October 10, 2025, as per Palestinian data.
As part of the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas in October 2025, 48 hostages remained in Gaza, with 28 presumed deceased, including Gvili. The transfer of all remaining hostages, both alive and deceased, was a central element of the initial phase of the agreement, yet other aspects remain unfulfilled, leading to disagreements on the next steps.
The return of Gvili’s body in Israel is seen as a moment of national reconciliation, following the traumatic Hamas attack, considered the deadliest assault on Jews since the Holocaust. The Trump administration had already announced the progression to the next phase of the peace plan, focusing on Gaza’s reconstruction and demilitarization.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem acknowledged the discovery of Gvili’s remains as a sign of Hamas’s commitment to the plan, emphasizing support for the technocratic administration in Gaza. Hamas also mentioned that their provided information assisted in locating Gvili’s body.
Although the Gaza-Egypt border was supposed to open in the initial phase of Trump’s peace plan, Israeli authorities had objected, insisting that Hamas first return the last remaining hostage’s body. Reuters reported that Israel aimed to regulate the flow of Palestinians crossing into Gaza, with a preference for fewer entries than exits and mandatory screening at an adjacent Israeli military checkpoint.
