Remains of last Israeli hostage found in Gaza as IDF launches 'targeted operation'

Remains of last Israeli hostage found in Gaza as IDF launches 'targeted operation'
Charlie Peters in GAZA: Hamas continue attacks on IDF amid fears over Trump's 'peace board' |

GB NEWS

George Bunn

By George Bunn


Published: 26/01/2026

- 14:00

Updated: 26/01/2026

- 14:59

The remains of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili will be returned for burial

The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has confirmed it has retrieved the remains the last hostage held in Gaza.

Soldiers from the IDF have now retrieved the remains of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili as they launched a "targeted operation" on the much destroyed enclave.


The return of all living and deceased hostages in Gaza completes a key condition of the initial part of President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war.

Israel has said that it will now reopen Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt once Mr Gvili's remains are returned back to Tel Aviv or the search operation for his body concludes.

The Rafah crossing acts as the enclave's main gateway to the world and is the key route in or out of Gaza for nearly all of the two million people who live there.

The Gaza side of the crossing has been under Israeli military control since 2024.

It was briefly opened early in 2025 for the evacuation of sick and wounded Palestinians for treatment, as part of the previous ceasefire deal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said: "As part of President Trump's 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."

Israeli police officer Ran Gvili

The IDF has retrieved the remains of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili

|

GETTY

Palestinians walk surrounded by the rubble of houses destroyed in Israeli strikes during the war

Palestinians walk surrounded by the rubble of houses destroyed in Israeli strikes during the war, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip

|

REUTERS

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel, mainly to discuss Gaza, Mr Witkoff said on Sunday.

"The discussion was constructive and positive, with both sides aligned on next steps and the importance of continued cooperation on all matters critical to the region," Mr Witkoff said in a post on X.

Gaza has been reduced to rubble in the war that was triggered by an attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 in which 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli tallies.

The Gaza health ministry says more than 71,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by Israeli fire since then.

It also says that at least 480 people have been killed by Israeli fire since a ceasefire agreement came into effect last October.

Ran Gvili, a police officer and Israeli hostage who was kidnapped\u200b

Ran Gvili, a police officer and Israeli hostage who was kidnapped

|

REUTERS

\u200bPalestinian children stand at the site of Thursday's Israeli strike on a house,

Palestinian children stand at the site of Thursday's Israeli strike on a house

|

REUTERS

Israeli officials have spoken in the past about encouraging Palestinians to emigrate from Gaza.

However, this has led to accusations of ethnic cleansing, with Israeli government denying intending to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza by force.

Palestinians are highly sensitive to any suggestion that Gazans could be expelled, or that those who leave temporarily could be barred from returning.

The Rafah Crossing is expected to be staffed by Palestinians affiliated with the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and monitored by EU personnel, as took place during an earlier, weeks-long ceasefire between Israel and Hamas early last year.

\u200bHeavy machinery operates as Israeli forces dismantle the Jerusalem headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency

Heavy machinery operates as Israeli forces dismantle the Jerusalem headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency

|

REUTERS

Israel demolished structures inside the UN Palestinian refugee agency's East Jerusalem compound after last week after seizing the site last year, in an act condemned by the agency as a violation of international law.

Surrounded by Israeli forces, bulldozers razed several large buildings and other smaller structures inside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency compound (UNRWA), where dozens of agency staff once worked.

UNRWA, which Israeli authorities accuse of bias, has not used the building since the start of last year after Israel ordered it to vacate all its premises and cease its operations.

Deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said: "The Secretary-General urges the government of Israel to immediately cease the demolition of the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound and to return and restore the compound and other UNRWA premises to the United Nations without delay."

More From GB News