Hamas resumes search in Gaza for remains of last Israeli hostage

Amid the fragile calm of a ceasefire shadowed by grief and waiting, Hamas has resumed the search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza, reviving a painful chapter that has lingered unresolved for months.

Hamas officials told AFP that search operations recommenced on 7 January, after a two-week suspension forced by harsh winter weather. Stormy skies and relentless rain had rendered the devastated terrain of Gaza City’s Zeitun neighbourhood inaccessible, grounding excavators and heavy machinery and halting efforts to recover the body.

According to a senior Hamas official, the group’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, has returned to the field, accompanied by teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross. The renewed operation is focused on Zeitun, in south-eastern Gaza City, where the remains are believed to be located.

“The search operations resumed today, and we hope to recover the body to close the exchange file,” the official said, calling on mediators to press Israel to complete the first phase of the ceasefire agreement and to reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Israel has repeatedly said that the return of the body of Ran Gvili is a prerequisite for talks on the second phase of the ceasefire, which came into effect in October. The fate of the agreement’s next stage, therefore, hangs heavily on the outcome of the renewed search.

Of the 251 people taken captive during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel — the assault that ignited the Gaza war — only Gvili’s body remains in Palestinian territory. A non-commissioned officer in the Israeli police’s elite Yassam unit, Gvili was killed in action on the day of the attack and his body was taken into Gaza.

In Israel, the resumption of the search has stirred a mix of relief and renewed anguish. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of those seized during the attack, said it welcomed the “pressure that led to the operational decision to resume search efforts” for Gvili’s remains.

After weeks of agonising uncertainty, Gvili’s parents spoke of a fragile sense of hope. “After a difficult month of uncertainty and feeling helpless, we are deeply relieved that search teams have returned to the field,” they were quoted as saying.

At the same time, their words carried a firm message. “It’s time for Hamas to understand there are no free passes. The Rafah crossing should not reopen until our Rani comes home,” they said, using their son’s nickname.

Appealing directly to mediators, the family urged them to exert every ounce of influence to bring the process to its conclusion. “We call on the mediators to use all their leverage to get this deal done and end our suffering. Rani, we’re waiting for you. We won’t rest until you’re back.”

As machinery once again bites into Gaza’s scarred earth, the search has become more than a recovery mission — it is a final, fragile bridge between mourning families, stalled diplomacy, and a ceasefire still struggling to hold.