JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that forming a technocratic committee to administer the Gaza Strip will not obstruct efforts to recover the body of the last Israeli captive held there.

Netanyahu made the remarks after US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff announced the launch of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza ceasefire.

Netanyahu spoke with Tali and Itzik Gvili, the parents of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli captive whose body remains in Gaza, and told them that the return of their son’s remains is a “top priority,” his office said in a statement.

“The declaratory move regarding the establishment of a technocratic committee will not affect the efforts to return Ran,” he said.

Netanyahu also said Israel “insists that information provided to the mediators by the Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing and his team must immediately translate into effective actions on the ground,” without providing further details.

Witkoff announced the launch of phase two of the plan to end the war on Gaza on Wednesday, moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction.

“Today, on behalf of President Trump, we are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President’s 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict” Witkoff wrote on the US social media company X.

He said the phase means “moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction” and warned of “serious consequences” if Hamas fails to honor its commitments, including returning the body of the last Israeli captive.

Before Witkoff’s announcement, Palestinian factions and political groups said they support mediators’ efforts to form a “Palestinian transitional national committee” to run Gaza and called for creating conditions for it to immediately assume its duties.

Israel has delayed starting the second phase of the agreement, tying it to the recovery of the last captive’s remains in Gaza, while Hamas has said locating and recovering the body could take time due to the massive destruction caused by the war.

Palestinians have accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire that halted Israel’s brutal war that has killed more than 71,400 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.

Nearly 450 Palestinians have been killed and over 1,200 others injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, which took effect on Oct. 10, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel has also refused to reopen Gaza’s crossings despite a UN Security Council resolution adopted in November 2025 calling for a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire in the enclave, unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and the reconstruction of the territory.