Hamas gives ‘all information’ on whereabouts of last captive’s body
Hamas’s armed wing says it provided ceasefire mediators with “all the details and information in our possession regarding the location of the captive’s body”.
The Qassam Brigades was referring to the remains of Ran Gvili, the last captive to be returned to Israel under the October 2025 US-brokered truce agreement. Israel announced it would allow a “limited reopening” of the Rafah border crossing between southern Gaza and Egypt once it recovered Gvili’s body.
World leaders and aid agencies have repeatedly pleaded with Israel to allow more humanitarian convoys through Rafah and other Gaza crossings. The blockaded Palestinian territory has been devastated by more than two years of war and depends on the inflow of essential medical equipment, food, water, and other supplies.
Concerns abound whether Israel will allow Palestinians to return to Gaza
The Rafah crossing is Gaza’s window to the world. It is the only access point through which Palestinians can enter and leave Gaza – and so it’s vital.
The Israeli government has explicitly said it does not want to allow the large number of Palestinians stuck outside Gaza to enter. There are no guarantees that those who leave can re-enter.
The thousands of babies born since October 2023 have not been registered, so Israel doesn’t recognise them, and they don’t have national ID numbers, which is another problem for those who want to return and have had children in the past two years.
There are many hurdles and challenges ahead here. And remember, there are thousands of people who need to be evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment. Those will be the most urgent cases.
Israeli army searches for captive’s remains in northern Gaza
The ending of phase one of the ceasefire and the reopening of the Rafah crossing now depend on the search for the remains of Ran Gvili, an Israeli police officer whose body was taken to Gaza.
Hamas said it provided Israel with information on his possible whereabouts. The Israeli army said it is searching the northern Gaza Strip “in the area of the yellow line“. Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency found the Israeli military is searching in a cemetery in the eastern part of Gaza City.
