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Israeli soldiers in Gaza gather to honor deceased hostage Ran Gvili after the identification of his remains. (IDF)<\/p>\nIsraeli soldiers in Gaza gather to honor deceased hostage Ran Gvili after the identification of his remains. (IDF)<\/p>\n
On January 26, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recovered<\/a> and identified the body of Ran Gvili, an Israeli police sergeant who was the last hostage held in Gaza. The IDF had been searching for Gvili throughout January, and US President Donald Trump had announced<\/a> that \u201cwe think we know\u201d the location of his remains at a White House press briefing on January 21.<\/p>\n The return of Gvili\u2019s body came a week and a half after the White House announced that the Gaza ceasefire was moving<\/a> to a new phase. It also occurred several days after the formation<\/a> of a new US-backed Board of Peace, which is expected to play a role in rebuilding the territory.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Trump told Axios in an interview on Monday that Hamas had helped locate the remains of the last Israeli hostage. He called on the group to now follow through on its commitment to disarm,\u201d Axios reported<\/a> on January 26.<\/p>\n Israeli forces found Gvili\u2019s body in northern Gaza. The IDF\u2019s 3rd Alexandroni Brigade, a reserve infantry unit, led the search, along with elements of the Yahalom engineering unit, Ynet reported<\/a>. \u201cThe operation began over the weekend in the Shuja\u2019iyya area. During the activity, more than 250 bodies were examined,\u201d the report added. The search involved 20 military dentists who examined bodies in the area of a cemetery.<\/p>\n The process of identifying Gvili\u2019s remains was completed in Israel by the Israeli National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the IDF noted<\/a> in a statement on January 26. The return of Gvili came 843 days after Hamas began<\/a> the war with an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. He was one of 251 hostages held in Gaza.<\/p>\n Gvili\u2019s recovery sets the stage for the second phase of the ceasefire to continue. One of the key elements of this phase is the opening<\/a> of the Rafah crossing on Gaza\u2019s border with Egypt. The crossing has been closed since the war began in 2023, and the IDF has controlled its Gaza side since May 2024, when Israeli forces pushed Hamas out of Rafah.<\/p>\n \u201cAs part of President Trump\u2019s 20-point plan, Israel has agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism,\u201d the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said<\/a> on January 26.<\/p>\n The opening of the Rafah crossing has been expected since the announcement of the Board of Peace\u2019s formation. \u201cI am pleased that an agreement has been reached regarding the preparation for re-opening of the Rafah crossing,\u201d Nikolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace\u2019s Gaza envoy, wrote<\/a> on X on January 22.<\/p>\n On January 24, US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel for a meeting with Netanyahu. \u201cKushner presented the details of a Gaza reconstruction plan, beginning in Rafah, that was formulated by businessperson Yakir Gabay, as well as an outline for Hamas\u2019s disarmament,\u201d The Jerusalem Post reported<\/a>. The reconstruction plan foresees<\/a> Gaza transformed through construction, city planning, and the creation of a new airport and new port facilities.<\/p>\n As plans for Gaza move forward, reports of various challenges continue. On January 25, Arab News reported<\/a> that the Israeli military had killed three Gazans. On January 27, Reuters noted that Hamas is seeking<\/a> to integrate its police forces into a new police force that is expected to arise in the territory.<\/p>\n