Israel has provided mediators with a list of the names of Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives believed to have direct knowledge of the location of slain hostage police officer Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, Channel 12 reported Friday, as Jerusalem intensified efforts to secure the return of his body and warned that progress in talks hinges on the issue.
According to the report, Israel passed the mediators not only the names of the Islamic Jihad members, but also detailed maps tied to areas where Gvili is believed to be buried.
Israeli officials assess that the information was conveyed clearly and expect terror groups in Gaza to step up search efforts as weather conditions improve following the recent Storm Byron, the report said.
An Israeli official quoted by Channel 12 said that if the terror group genuinely chooses to cooperate, Gvili’s return could potentially be achieved “within a short time.”
Israeli officials have also made clear that there will be no advancement to the next phase of the ceasefire deal without the return of Gvili, the last remaining hostage in the Strip.
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Security officials confirmed that in recent days, Israel has identified several possible leads regarding the location of Gvili’s burial site and has begun preliminary checks. The area under examination is reportedly connected to Islamic Jihad, whose operatives abducted Gvili during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.
Hamas operatives and Egyptian workers, accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), head to the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City to search for the remains of Ran Gvili, December 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)
Islamic Jihad has recently conducted searches in several areas across the Gaza Strip in an apparent effort to locate Gvili’s remains.
Gvili, a member of the Yasam police counter-terror unit, was on medical leave at the time of the onslaught, awaiting surgery on his broken shoulder following a motorcycle accident. Nevertheless, when he heard of the attack, he put on his uniform and headed toward the front line.
In January 2024, the IDF announced that Gvili had been killed on October 7 while battling Hamas in Kibbutz Alumim, and his body taken to Gaza. His family, however, has refused to accept his death without the return of his body.
Last week, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that an Israeli delegation traveled to Cairo for talks with mediators. The delegation was led by government hostage point man Gal Hirsch and included representatives from the Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet and Mossad.
Gal Hirsch, Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing in the Prime Minister’s Office, attends a National Security Committee meeting at the Knesset on November 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
According to Channel 12, discussions concluded with an agreement to focus on an immediate and intensive effort aimed at completing the mission of returning Gvili.
During the Cairo talks, Israeli officials informed the mediators that individuals within Islamic Jihad possess direct knowledge of Gvili’s whereabouts. The discussions also addressed the next stage of the ceasefire framework, which Israel says must include Hamas’s disarmament and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
An Israeli official told Channel 12 that mediators have conveyed Hamas’s interest in moving forward with the agreement.
“Either they agree to disarm and demilitarize Gaza, or we will do it ourselves,” the official said. “Israel will not leave a threat to the State of Israel in Gaza.”
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