Israel confirms return of last Gaza hostage as remains of Ran Gvili are repatriated

Last Gaza hostage returned to Israel

The Israeli military said on Monday that it had identified the remains of Ran Gvili, the last hostage held in Gaza, and that his body was being returned to Israel for burial.

The announcement brings to a close a prolonged effort to locate and repatriate the final hostage among the 251 people abducted by Hamas militants during their October 2023 assault on Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday welcomed the development, saying all captives had now been brought back “down to the very last”.

The most recent hostage handovers formed part of the first phase of a US-backed ceasefire agreement, which began on October 10 and was intended to halt fighting in the Palestinian territory.

Hamas said the return of Gvili’s body demonstrated the group’s “commitment” to the ceasefire, which moved into its second phase earlier this month.

Gvili’s family had previously voiced strong opposition to proceeding with the second phase of the agreement before his remains were recovered.

In a statement, the Israeli military said its representatives had “informed the family of hostage Ran Gvili... that their loved one has been identified and will be returned for burial”.

“With this, all hostages have been returned from the Gaza Strip to the State of Israel,” the statement added.

Footage released by the military showed Gvili’s coffin draped in an Israeli flag, surrounded by soldiers singing the national anthem.

Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer in the elite Yassam unit, had been on medical leave ahead of shoulder surgery when Hamas launched its deadly October 7, 2023 attack.

Rather than remain at home, the motorcycle enthusiast took his personal firearm and rushed toward the attack site in southern Israel to confront the Palestinian militants.

'Many difficult years'

The gradual return of the hostages over several stages had been a complicated and arduous process for both sides.

"This is an extraordinary achievement for the State of Israel," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told journalists in parliament on Monday.

"We promised -- and I promised -- to bring everyone back. We brought them all back, down to the very last captive," he added.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog celebrated Gvili's return saying: "After many difficult years, for the first time since 2014, there are no Israeli citizens held hostage in Gaza. An entire nation prayed and waited for this moment."

Prior to October 2023, two civilian hostages and the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in earlier wars were being held in Gaza.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement that "the discovery of the body of the last Israeli prisoner in Gaza confirms Hamas's commitment to all the requirements of the ceasefire agreement on the Gaza Strip".

Officials said on Sunday that Israeli forces were searching for Gvili's remains in a cemetery in northern Gaza.

The announcement of the search came after visiting US envoys reportedly pushed Israeli officials to reopen Gaza's Rafah crossing, a vital entry point for aid.

Israeli officials said on Monday that though they would open the crossing, only pedestrians would be allowed to travel through the crossing to Egypt.

Reopening Rafah, a vital entry point for aid into Gaza, forms part of the US-brokered truce.

'True friend'

Nicknamed the "Defender of Alumim" by his family and the kibbutz of that name, Gvili was killed in combat near the community and his body taken to Gaza by Hamas militants.

Israeli authorities confirmed to his parents in January 2024 that the young officer had been killed on that day and that his body had been taken to Gaza.

"He ran to help, to save people... even though he was already injured before October 7," his father told AFP in December, referring to Gvili's shoulder injury.

"But that was Rani -- always running forward, the first to help and the first to jump in."

In a statement, the Israeli group representing the families of hostages held in Gaza described Gvili as "a true friend, loved by everyone".

"He loved life, was a young man of deep values, always spoke at eye level, and carried a powerful yet calm presence," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum added.

The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas's attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

The Israeli retaliation flattened much of Gaza, a territory that was already suffering severely from previous rounds of fighting and from an Israeli blockade imposed since 2007.

The two-year war between Israel and Hamas has left at least 71,660 people dead in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry which operates under Hamas authority, figures considered reliable by the United Nations.

(With AFP inputs)