Israel said Sunday that its military has begun a “large-scale operation” in Gaza to locate and recover the remains of the last hostage held in the territory, as the United States and other mediators press Israel and Hamas to advance to the next phase of their ceasefire agreement.
The announcement came as Israel’s Cabinet convened to consider reopening the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, and one day after senior U.S. envoys met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss next steps in implementing the ceasefire.
The recovery of the remaining hostage, Ran Gvili, has been viewed as the final major obstacle to opening the Rafah crossing and moving forward with the U.S.-brokered second phase of the ceasefire.
In a statement late Sunday, Netanyahu’s office said, “Upon completion of this operation, and in accordance with what has been agreed with the United States, Israel will open the Rafah crossing.” No timeline was provided, though Israeli military officials told local media the search could take several days.
The return of all remaining hostages — living or deceased — was a core commitment of the ceasefire’s first phase, which took effect on Oct. 10. The previous hostage was recovered in early December.
Israel has conducted prior searches for Gvili, but this operation has been accompanied by unusually detailed public disclosures. The Israeli military said troops are searching a cemetery in northern Gaza near the Yellow Line, which marks Israeli-controlled areas of the territory.
Gvili’s family has urged Netanyahu’s government not to proceed to the ceasefire’s second phase until his remains are returned. However, international pressure has increased in recent days, and the Trump administration has indicated that the second phase of the agreement is already underway.
Israel has accused Hamas of delaying efforts to recover the final hostage. Hamas said Sunday that it has provided all information in its possession regarding Gvili’s remains and accused Israel of obstructing searches in areas under Israeli military control.
