Tel Aviv has launched a large-scale search operation in the northern Gaza Strip to locate the body of the last Israeli hostage, Staff Sergeant Ran Gvili, who was killed during the Hamas attack.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) are conducting a major operation in the northern Gaza Strip as part of the search for the body of Staff Sergeant Ran Gvili. According to Israeli sources, the operation began late last week at a cemetery near the temporary demarcation line.
According to Israeli intelligence, Ran Gvili’s remains may be located in the Shujaiya-Tuffa area. The search is being conducted with the participation of military and special forces.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that after the operation is completed and in accordance with agreements with the United States, Israel will open the Rafah crossing. This step should signal the start of the second phase of the ceasefire brokered by Washington.
The family of the deceased sergeant called on the authorities not to move on to the next stage of the agreement until his remains were returned to his homeland. For their part, Hamas representatives said they had given Israel all the information they had about Gvili’s presumed burial site and accused the Israeli side of creating obstacles to the search in the territories under its control.
Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer, was killed on October 7, 2023 during a Hamas attack on Israel. His body has not yet been found. The return of all hostages, both living and dead, was a key condition of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on October 10, 2025. The last hostage was released in early December.
