Israel Recovers Remains of Last Captive Held in Gaza, Sets Stage for Ceasefire Deal Progress.
The Israeli military announced yesterday that the remains of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli captive held in the Gaza Strip, have been recovered, paving the way for the next phase of a ceasefire deal agreed upon in October.
According to Avichay Adraee, an army spokesman, following the completion of the identification process by the National Centre of Forensic Medicine in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, military representatives informed Gvili's family that his body had been returned for burial. This marks the end of Hamas's obligation to return all 251 people, dead or alive, to Israel under the terms of the ceasefire deal.
The repatriation of Gvili's remains is seen as a significant development in the peace process, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed it as an "extraordinary achievement for the State of Israel."
Meanwhile, Hamas has urged Israel to fully honor the terms of the ceasefire agreement. The group emphasized its commitment to the first stage of the deal and stated that it had fulfilled all its obligations in a clear and responsible manner.
The return of Gvili's body also signals the beginning of a new phase of the ceasefire deal, which includes the reopening of the Rafah crossing, the lifting of restrictions on Gaza's needs, and facilitating work on post-war governance. The development has sparked optimism among Palestinians, who have been eagerly awaiting these developments for months.
As Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary noted, "There should be a lot changing on the ground – the Rafah crossing to open, the reconstruction material to enter the Gaza Strip, and also the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the yellow line to allow Palestinians to go and be able to see their houses and see everything beyond that line."
However, Israel has insisted that the crossing would remain open only for people, not goods. The country has repeatedly justified delays in fulfilling ceasefire terms due to a lack of all captives returned.
The recovery of Gvili's remains marks an important moment in the peace process, but critics argue that much work remains to be done to fulfill the promise of the ceasefire deal and restore Palestinian freedoms.
The Israeli military announced yesterday that the remains of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli captive held in the Gaza Strip, have been recovered, paving the way for the next phase of a ceasefire deal agreed upon in October.
According to Avichay Adraee, an army spokesman, following the completion of the identification process by the National Centre of Forensic Medicine in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, military representatives informed Gvili's family that his body had been returned for burial. This marks the end of Hamas's obligation to return all 251 people, dead or alive, to Israel under the terms of the ceasefire deal.
The repatriation of Gvili's remains is seen as a significant development in the peace process, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed it as an "extraordinary achievement for the State of Israel."
Meanwhile, Hamas has urged Israel to fully honor the terms of the ceasefire agreement. The group emphasized its commitment to the first stage of the deal and stated that it had fulfilled all its obligations in a clear and responsible manner.
The return of Gvili's body also signals the beginning of a new phase of the ceasefire deal, which includes the reopening of the Rafah crossing, the lifting of restrictions on Gaza's needs, and facilitating work on post-war governance. The development has sparked optimism among Palestinians, who have been eagerly awaiting these developments for months.
As Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary noted, "There should be a lot changing on the ground – the Rafah crossing to open, the reconstruction material to enter the Gaza Strip, and also the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the yellow line to allow Palestinians to go and be able to see their houses and see everything beyond that line."
However, Israel has insisted that the crossing would remain open only for people, not goods. The country has repeatedly justified delays in fulfilling ceasefire terms due to a lack of all captives returned.
The recovery of Gvili's remains marks an important moment in the peace process, but critics argue that much work remains to be done to fulfill the promise of the ceasefire deal and restore Palestinian freedoms.
. Like, they need to open up the Rafah crossing and let goods in ASAP or else it'll be like, super slow progress... I'm not even sure if that's even a possibility tho lol. Hamas is trying to keep Israel on their toes by saying they've fulfilled all their obligations, but Israel's still being all like "hold my beer" 
. Anyway, the Palestinians are probably hyped about this and all, but we'll just have to wait & see if it actually leads to anything meaningful 
. Maybe?
after years of holding ppl captive like they mean nothing 1 less hostage means a little less blood on their hands dont get it twisted but its still a huge step forward for peace in the ME 
i feel bad for ran gvilis fam having to deal with all this i can only imagine how hard it must be for them now that hes back with his family 
lets keep our fingers crossed that israel and hamas can actually stick to the ceasefire deal & make some real progress 
it's a good sign that israel and hamas are talking again maybe they can actually make something happen 
I mean, it's about time they get Ran Gvili's body back for his family. It's been ages since he's been held captive in Gaza, and this news is definitely a step forward for the peace process.
, i mean, 251 people are still missing and no one knows what happened to them... it's all about politicking at this point 
. the palestinians need more than just empty promises and gestures... they need action 
. and what's with israel saying the rafah crossing can only open for people, not goods? that's just ridiculous 
. what's most important is that these agreements are being taken seriously by both sides 
. we can't just wish for a peaceful coexistence without putting in the effort 
it also means hamas has fulfilled part of their obligation so maybe we'll see some progress on the ceasefire front soon? but atm its all about the details like who gets to go through rafah first & what restrictions are lifted lol seems like a lot more work needs to be done 
."
its like israel's just gonna do whatever it wants & expect us to believe they'll follow through 
meanwhile, ppl in Gaza are still stuck w/ no access 2 basic needs 
rafah crossing is supposed 2 open but we all kno how that's gonna play out 
lets just say i got my fingers crossed for the best outcome lol
what if these next steps don't go as planned? will we see any real progress or is this just a distraction from the bigger issues?! 
. Newsflash: theres plenty of other issues with Gaza that need solvin' and they're just gonna keep pushin' stuff to the side cuz they got one less dead guy. Not sayin its not somethin to celebrate but lets keep things in perspective, ya know?