ALBAWABA- Israeli forces announced on January 26, 2026, that they had recovered the body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last remaining Israeli captive held in Gaza since October 7, 2023, ending 843 days of captivity.
The remains were found in a cemetery in Gaza City’s Al-Tuffah neighborhood after Hamas provided intelligence to mediators. Acting on the information, Israeli troops conducted targeted searches in northern Gaza, exhuming more than 200 graves before locating Gvili’s body. He was transferred to Israel for forensic identification and burial.
Gvili, 24, a combat engineer from Modi’in, was killed during the initial Hamas assault, with his body subsequently held as leverage in negotiations.
The recovery comes as the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, brokered by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt in late 2025, begins to take effect.
This phase includes a gradual Israeli military withdrawal, prisoner exchanges, and limited humanitarian access. Hamas’s disclosure of Gvili’s burial site was directly linked to negotiations aimed at advancing the deal.
A key component of the agreement is the reopening of the Rafah crossing in both directions for pedestrian movement and restricted aid flow. The crossing, closed since May 2024, is expected to reopen for people in the coming days. Israeli officials had conditioned the reopening on the successful recovery of Gvili’s remains, though broader humanitarian access remains limited.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described the recovery as “closure for the family and the nation,” while reiterating that Israel would make no concessions until all objectives are fulfilled.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said the operation underscored Israel’s commitment to retrieving all captives, warning that any violations of the ceasefire could derail progress.
