JERUSALEM/ ISTANBUL

The Israeli army said Monday that it had located and recovered the body of its last captive in the Gaza Strip.​​​​​​​

A military statement said that the body of Sgt. 1st Class Ran Gvili was identified and would be returned for burial.

“With this, all hostages have been returned from the Gaza Strip,” it added.

The announcement came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel will reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt after the return of Gvili’s body.

For its part, the Palestinian group Hamas said in a statement that “the resistance, acting out of its national responsibility and commitment to what was agreed upon, exerted great efforts in the file of searching for the body of the last captive, and provided mediators with the necessary information on an ongoing basis, which contributed to the recovery of the body.”

It added that “this step comes within the context of the resistance’s full commitment to the requirements of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, as it has fulfilled all its obligations in a clear and responsible manner.”

The movement called on Israel to complete the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement “without reduction or delay, and to adhere to all obligations arising from it, especially opening the Rafah border crossing in both directions without restrictions.”

It stressed the need for “allowing the entry of the Strip’s needs in the required quantities, lifting any bans on them, completing a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and facilitating the work of the national committee for administering the Strip.”

In recent months, Israel has linked the reopening of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to the recovery of the body of its last captive from the strip. Tel Aviv has controlled the crossing since May 2024 and tightened the siege on Palestinians in Gaza.

Before Gvili, Palestinian factions had handed over 20 living Israeli captives and the remains of 27 others to Israel, since the start of the first phase of the ceasefire on Oct. 10, 2025.

Palestinians have accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire deal, which halted Tel Aviv’s two-year war that has killed more than 71,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 171,400 others since October 2023.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 484 people have been killed and 1,321 others injured since the fragile truce.