Israel brought home the remains of the last hostage in Gaza on Monday, closing a key element of the Gaza ceasefire with Hamas and setting the stage for a more difficult second phase of negotiations. The Associated Press reported that the remains of police officer Ran Gvili were recovered in northern Gaza and brought to Israel after Hamas said it had met the terms of the first phase, which included the return of remaining hostages, living or dead.
The next step in the ceasefire, Israel officials said, is likely to involve reopening the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Palestinians have said the crossing is their main route to travel and to reach medical care outside the enclave, and the AP reported Israel has largely kept Rafah closed since May 2024, with only a short opening early last year.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the return of Gvili “an incredible achievement” for Israel and its soldiers, according to the AP. Netanyahu said Gvili, who was killed during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war, was among the first taken into Gaza after the Oct. 7 attack.
Dozens of people, including relatives, military officials and friends from Gvili’s police unit, received his coffin at an army post on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, the AP reported. Many more Israelis lined nearby roads as the convoy carrying the coffin traveled to Tel Aviv, where it arrived Monday night. Gvili’s father, Itzik, said he was proud of his son and praised the honor received by the family, kissing the flag-draped coffin.
The AP reported that Netanyahu’s office said Sunday that once the search for Gvili was finished, Israel would open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt. The ceasefire second phase, as described in the AP report, also includes deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas, pulling back Israeli soldiers and rebuilding Gaza.
Netanyahu drew a distinction in parliament on Monday between disarmament and reconstruction, the AP said. “The next phase is disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip. The next phase is not reconstruction,” he said while addressing the Israeli parliament, according to the report.
In Gaza, the AP said Palestinians were optimistic that reopening Rafah would enable travel and evacuations for people needing treatment outside the enclave. Abdel-Rahman Radwan, a Gaza City resident whose mother has cancer and needs treatment beyond Gaza, said they hoped reopening Rafah would “close off Israel’s pretexts and open the crossing.” Another father, Ahmed Ruqab, who lives in a tent in the Nuseirat refugee camp, called for mediators and the U.S. to pressure Israel to allow more aid and said, “We need to turn this page and restart,” the AP reported.
The AP also reported that UNICEF deputy executive director Ted Chaiban said the next phase should include permanent shelter materials and items to repair infrastructure, alongside more humanitarian and commercial supplies. The AP cited a United Nations children’s agency official saying there was backlog of supplies in Egypt ready to move into Gaza whenever crossing opens to aid traffic.
The AP described how Gvili’s remains were found along the “yellow line” dividing Gaza just on the Israeli side, citing a military official who spoke anonymously under army protocol. It also reported that in the October 2023 attack that launched the war, about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage, and that Gvili, known as “Rani,” was a 24-year-old police officer who was killed while fighting Hamas militants.
The AP said two U.S. officials on a call with reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, credited Egypt, Qatar and Turkey with helping to secure Hamas’s release of Gvili’s body and said Hamas was cooperative in making it happen. The officials said they expect Israel to help both sides move forward into phase two and that they want Hamas to disarm in accordance with the agreement.
As the ceasefire moves into its next and more contested phase, the AP reported ongoing violence and uncertainty in Gaza. It said Israeli forces fatally shot two people on Monday, according to hospitals that received the bodies, and it reported that Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israel’s offensive has killed at least 71,660 Palestinians since 2023, including more than 480 killed by Israeli fire since the latest ceasefire began. The ministry is part of the Hamas-led government and maintains records the AP said are generally seen as reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.
Separately, the AP reported that the Foreign Press Association asked Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday to allow journalists to enter Gaza freely and independently. The AP said FPA lawyers told the court that the restrictions on independent access are not justified and that tightly controlled visits under strict military supervision are no substitute for independent access, and it said the judges are expected to rule soon.