Israel confirmed Monday that the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza, Israeli police officer Rani Gvili, 24, have been returned, marking an end to a particularly dark and painful chapter for Israelis that began when Hamas and allied militants attacked on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting some 250 others.
In a statement, the Israeli military said the remains of his body had been formally identified and that his family had been notified. . Gvili was killed when he rushed to the border area to help victims of the Hamas attacks, according to an account his sister gave to the forum representing hostage families. He was on sick leave at the time for a dislocated shoulder and, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, died while fighting Palestinian militants in Kibbutz Alumim. The gunmen then took his body back to Gaza.
“Ran Gvili, the last hostage in Gaza, has been brought home. First to enter. Last to return,” the Hostages and Families Forum said in a statement. “Ran, with his broad shoulders and radiant smile, was all heart. A true friend, loved by everyone,” it read.
Under pressure to move ahead with the second phase of the ceasefire deal, the Israeli military had been carrying out a “focused” last-ditch operation in northern Gaza over the weekend in a bid to find Gvili’s remains — which appeared on Monday to largely take place in a cemetery east of Gaza City.
The recent return of the remaining hostages, including 20 living captives and the bodies of 28 others, was facilitated by a U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that went into effect in October. The deal, which halted most military hostilities in Gaza, envisions a multistage pathway to peace — including the formation of an international stabilization force, the demobilization of Hamas and eventual reconstruction of the Palestinian enclave.
Israel responded to the Oct. 7 attacks with a punishing military campaign in Gaza that killed more than 70,000 people and destroyed much of the territory, actions some scholars, legal experts and an independent U.N. commission have said amount to genocide.
Netanyahu had repeatedly said that one of the war’s main objectives was the safe return of the hostages. But the majority of those who were abducted were released alive during three separate ceasefire agreements over the course of the war — including 105 who were freed in November 2023 and 30 who were released earlier this year.
Over the past two months, as Hamas fighters worked with mediators to recover the remains, which the group said were buried under rubble or different locations across Gaza, Israel accused the militants of purposely withholding the bodies and refused to fully implement some of its obligations under the agreement.
Israeli authorities have kept Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt closed and has maintained some restrictions on aid entering the territory. Netanyahu’s office announced on Sunday that Rafah would reopen as soon as the search for Gvili’s body had concluded. For Palestinians who managed to flee the war, it will mark the first time they are able to go home in more than two years.
Israel has agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism,” Netanyahu’s office said.
The decision to reopen the Rafah crossing, which Israel has controlled since 2024, is a marked sign of progress in efforts by mediators to advance the ceasefire deal to the second stage.
The Trump administration has aimed for international forces to demobilize and reintegrate the militants, but few countries have publicly said they are willing to contribute troops.
For its part, Hamas has in theory agreed to relinquish power, but its leadership remains in discussions with other political factions on how to shape postwar administration in Gaza, and it has said it would only hand over its weapons to a governing body made up of Palestinians.
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