Israel finds final hostage, paving way for new phase of Gaza ceasefire

TEL AVIV – Israel has recovered the body of the final hostage held in the Gaza Strip, clearing a path for the next phase of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, officials announced Monday.

The body was identified as Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the recovery followed a "large-scale operation" conducted at a cemetery in northern Gaza.

The return of all hostages, whether alive or deceased, is a critical component of the first stage of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that went into effect on Oct. 10.

Both Israel and Hamas are facing significant pressure from international mediators, including the Trump administration, to expedite the agreement. Hamas issued a statement saying the recovery of the body "confirms Hamas's commitment to all terms of the deal."

The upcoming phase of the ceasefire plan calls for the establishment of an international stabilization force, the formation of a Palestinian technocratic government, and the disarmament of Hamas.

President Trump has warned that Hamas will face "severe consequences" if the group refuses to disarm.

The recovery of the final hostage’s remains marks a significant, if somber, symbolic milestone, yet it signals only the conclusion of the ceasefire’s most straightforward chapter. The transition to the deal's second phase presents a set of challenges that appear increasingly insurmountable.

The primary deadlock remains the demand for Hamas to disarm. For the group, its arsenal is more than a military asset; it is the ultimate guarantor of its political relevance and survival. To disarm is to effectively abdicate power—a reality reflected in President-elect Donald Trump’s warning of "hell to pay" should negotiations fail. Washington clearly views this disarmament as the deal’s existential pivot point. Furthermore, the proposed installation of a "technocratic government" alongside an "international stabilization force" requires a level of political consensus that currently exists neither among fractured Palestinian factions nor within a divided international community.

Against this backdrop, the Trump administration’s nascent "Peace Council" initiative appears to be a personalized diplomatic gambit rather than a rigorously structured multilateral strategy. Notably, the council’s founding charter fails to explicitly mention the Gaza Strip, a glaring omission that likely accounts for the skepticism shown by traditional European allies and geopolitical rivals like Russia and China. The coming period will serve as the definitive stress test for the regional peace process, as the core political grievances that were previously deferred must finally be addressed head-on.