Politics

The Israeli military announced that it has recovered the body of the last hostage from Gaza. This development sets the stage for the next step in US President Donald Trump’s peace plan. They had been searching for Master Sgt Ran Gvili since the ceasefire with Hamas started in October. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Gvili’s return as “an extraordinary achievement.” A new operation to locate Gvili began on Sunday. Previously, Hamas’s armed wing stated that it had shared “all the details and information” about Gvili’s location with mediators. Netanyahu’s office indicated that Israel would reopen the vital border crossing with Egypt once the mission to find and return Gvili was completed. Netanyahu celebrated the return of Gvili’s body, affirming, “We promised - and I promised - to bring everyone back. We brought them all back, down to the very last captive.” The Israeli military noted that improved intelligence over the weekend allowed them to search a cemetery near Gaza City. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem remarked that the finding of the body “confirms Hamas’s commitment to all the requirements of the ceasefire agreement.” The recovery of Gvili gives new momentum to Trump’s initiative to resolve the conflict in Gaza, as Israel had been hesitant to proceed until Gvili was located.