Hamas, Red Cross resume search in Gaza for body of last Israeli hostage, key to ceasefire talks
Hamas officials said Tuesday that search operations have resumed in Gaza City for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the enclave, a move Israel has tied to the start of talks on the second phase of a fragile ceasefire agreement.
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The Palestinian group’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, is working “accompanied by Red Cross teams” in the Zeitun neighborhood in southeastern Gaza City after a two-week pause caused by stormy weather, a Hamas official said. Another official said heavy rain and flooding had prevented excavators and other machinery from reaching the area.
Israel has said it is awaiting the return of the body of Ran Gvili before beginning discussions on the next stage of the truce that took effect in October. The ceasefire, mediated by international partners, has been described by both sides as fragile.
Gvili, a non-commissioned officer in the Israeli police’s elite Yassam unit, was killed in action on Oct. 7, 2023, during Hamas’s attack that triggered the current Gaza war. His body was taken into Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
Of the 251 people seized during the Oct. 7 assault, only Gvili’s remains are believed to remain in Palestinian territory, officials said.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of those abducted to Gaza, welcomed the decision to restart the search. “We welcome the pressure that led to the operational decision to resume search efforts,” the group said in a statement.
Gvili’s parents voiced relief and urged mediators to press for a resolution. “After a difficult month of uncertainty and feeling helpless, we are deeply relieved that search teams have returned to the field,” they said in the forum’s statement. “We call on the mediators to use all their leverage to get this deal done and end our suffering. Rani, we’re waiting for you. We won’t rest until you’re back.”
They also urged that the Rafah crossing not reopen until their son’s remains are returned. “It’s time for Hamas to understand there are no free passes. The Rafah crossing should not reopen until our Rani comes home,” the parents said.
Hamas did not provide a timetable for the operation in Zeitun, and there was no immediate public comment on the search from the Red Cross teams working alongside the Qassam Brigades, according to the officials who announced the resumption.
The search underscores the stakes surrounding the next steps in the ceasefire process, which Israeli officials have linked to the resolution of remaining hostage cases. While the truce eased some fighting and allowed limited humanitarian access, negotiations over its second phase have stalled amid mutual accusations and on-the-ground constraints, including poor weather and access challenges inside Gaza.
As the operation resumes, families of those taken in the Oct. 7 attack—many of whom have become a potent civic force in Israel—are pressing for swift and visible progress. For Gvili’s relatives, the return of his body has become a national touchstone for whether the ceasefire can advance and whether negotiators can marshal enough influence to turn commitments into concrete steps on the ground.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
