Israel has delivered to the mediators a list of Islamic Jihad terrorists who are believed to know the whereabouts of the body of the final hostage, Ran Gvili, Channel 12 News reported on Friday evening.
The report noted that along with the names of the terrorists in the organization, Israel also provided the mediators with relevant maps.
“If Islamic Jihad truly wants to – Ran Givili can be home within a short time,” said an Israeli official quoted in the report.
The report added that officials in Jerusalem believe the message was conveyed to the mediators in the most effective manner, and that the terror organizations are expected to accelerate searches in the Gaza Strip as the weather clears.
It was further reported that with the end of Storm Byron, which also struck Gaza, Israel expects to see the immediate resumption of searches, in accordance with the maps Israel passed to Hamas through the mediators. If no genuine change occurs, and Israel does not see a real effort by Hamas to return Ran, the Coordinator for Prisoners and Missing Persons is expected to travel again to Egypt. Israeli officials also clarified that there will be no move to Phase B of the deal without Ran’s return.
Meanwhile, Channel 13 News reported that Hamas officials claim there is “difficulty in determining” Gvili’s location.
On Thursday, it was reported that security officials in Israel have recently identified possible leads regarding the burial location of Gvili.
According to the report, preliminary field checks have begun in recent days in an effort to verify the information.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News’ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)