The Israel Defense Forces reported that the body of the last hostage remaining in the Gaza Strip has been found and returned to the country. This was clarified in an official statement from the IDF.
An examination confirmed that the remains belong to police officer Ran Gwili, who was killed in a confrontation with terrorists on October 7, 2023. After his death, the body was moved to Gaza.
The day before, Israeli authorities announced the start of a large-scale operation to search for the body of Ran Gwili in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated in an interview with Axios that Hamas assisted in locating the remains of Ran Gwili. "They put in a lot of effort to return the body. They worked on this together with Israel. One can only imagine how difficult this was... Now it is necessary to disarm Hamas, as they promised," he noted.
The return of all living hostages and the bodies of the deceased became one of the main conditions of the first stage of the peace plan to end the conflict in Gaza, which was signed in October 2025. Hamas transferred the living hostages to Israel in stages, completing the process by early December.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on January 25 that after the remains of Ran Gwili were found, the IDF would open the Rafah crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip with Egypt. This point is an important channel for delivering humanitarian aid. These steps are provided for in the second stage of the peace plan.
