The Israeli military announced Monday that it has recovered the remains of the final deceased hostage in Gaza, marking the first time since 2014 that there are no Israeli hostages in the enclave.
Ran Gvili, an Israeli police officer whose body was taken to Gaza after he was killed on October 7, 2023, was the last of the hostages slain or abducted on that date whose remains were still in Gaza. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of first sergeant, according to the Israeli government.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said an “entire people prayed and waited for this moment — and now the circle is closed.”
“After an identification process conducted by the National Center of Forensic Medicine together with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, officials notified his family that his remains had been identified and would be brought to burial,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump celebrated the recovery, crediting his “great team of champions” for the effort.
“Just recovered the last Hostage body in GAZA. Thus, got back ALL 20 of the living Hostages, and ALL of the Dead! AMAZING JOB! Most thought of it as an impossible thing to do. Congratulations to my great team of Champions!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday.
“Incredible news. President Trump made this possible,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X.
Two US officials credited efforts by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey in helping the Israelis to recover Gvili’s remains.
“The Qataris and the Turks were very helpful in getting Hamas to cooperate,” one official said, speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity. “I will say Hamas was very cooperative as they fulfilled the obligation that they signed up for.”
Another US official acknowledged private doubts that Gvili’s remains could ever be recovered.
Israel had conditioned the opening of the Rafah crossing and advancement to the second phase of the Gaza peace plan upon retrieval and return of all of the living and deceased hostages.
Responding to the news, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Gvili’s return marks an “outstanding accomplishment by the state of Israel.”
“We promised to bring everyone home, and we returned them all, until the last of them. Rani is a hero, he went in first and got out last, and now he is on his way home,” Netanyahu told reporters at the Knesset.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which organized rallies in Tel Aviv and elsewhere across Israel calling for the release of the hostages, described Gvili as a “true friend, loved by everyone.”
“Ran took great pride in being a police officer and wearing the blue uniform,” the forum said in a statement.
“At 24 years old at the time of his death, Ran is survived by his parents, Talik and Itzik, his brother Omri, his sister Shira, and an extended family.”
As part of the ceasefire agreement reached in October, Hamas agreed to release the remainder of the 251 hostages — dead and alive — who were taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023.
The last 20 living hostages were released in mid-October.
‘At the threshold’ of second stage
Hamas said the return of Gvili demonstrates the group’s “complete commitment” to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. In return, Israel must “complete the implementation of all the terms of the ceasefire agreement in full, without any reduction or delay,” Hamas said.
On Sunday night, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the Rafah crossing would open after the conclusion of the search for Gvili’s remains. But the opening would be for pedestrians only, the statement said, not for commercial goods or humanitarian aid. The crossing would be “subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism,” the statement said.
It’s unclear when the crossing will open.
An Israeli official told CNN that the Rafah crossing will be operated by European Union officials and Palestinian forces with oversight from Israel’s Shin Bet security service. “It’s clear that not everyone who wants to enter will be granted entry,” the official said.
Netanyahu vowed Monday that Israel is “now at the threshold of the next stage: dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip. The next stage is not reconstruction.”
One of the thorniest issues facing the second phase, the demilitarization of Hamas, will happen “the easy way or the hard way,” Netanyahu said.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Abeer Salman, Kit Maher and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
