The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that, as of Monday morning, there are “no more hostages being held in Gaza.”
The last body found belonged to Sergeant First Class (SFC) Ran Gviri, who was killed while defending civilians during Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.
Gviri was only 24 at the time and served in the Negev Border Police. Interestingly, he was on medical leave due to a broken shoulder from a motorcycle accident and was set for surgery when the attack occurred. Despite his injuries, he ran into action to help the civilians in his kibbutz, Alimim.
The IDF stated that Gviri had been shot and, unfortunately, sustained a leg injury during the fighting, which led to his death. His body was reportedly taken by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and kept for 843 days.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that Gviri’s body was identified after extensive searches in central Gaza.
As of Monday, there was still some uncertainty regarding whether Hamas and PIJ had collaborated in finding Gviri’s body. The Israeli government mentioned having refined their search area based on new intelligence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to Gviri as a hero during a speech in the Knesset. “He was the first to enter and the last to leave. This is a significant achievement,” he said.
With the disappearance of hostages in Gaza confirmed, Netanyahu expressed a desire to move forward with the next phase of the ceasefire, which includes plans for the demilitarization of Gaza and disarming Hamas.
In December, Gviri’s family had a meeting in the United States with high-profile officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Jared Kushner. They urged U.S. and Israeli authorities not to proceed with a ceasefire until Gviri, referred to as the “last remaining hostage in Gaza,” was returned. They acknowledged the roles of both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu in the recovery process.
No doubt, there are concerns about whether Hamas and its allies might have purposely stalled the return of hostages to delay the next stage of the ceasefire initiative, which emphasizes disarmament.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem downplayed any doubts about the group’s intention to return Gviri’s body, claiming this act showed their commitment to the ceasefire terms and the completion of agreements related to stopping the conflict.
Qasem later accused Israel of breaching ceasefire conditions with actions such as the recovery of Gviri’s body.
