Israel returns last Gaza hostage remains

Jerusalem (AFP) — Israeli forces brought home on Monday the remains of Ran Gvili, the last hostage held in Gaza, finally closing the chapter on a painful saga that has haunted Israeli society since Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack.

Militants took 251 hostages to Gaza that day, and the process of returning them has dragged over the course of the ensuing war in a series of ceasefire and prisoner-swap deals as well as efforts to rescue them militarily.

The most recent set of hostage handovers was part of the US-backed Gaza ceasefire deal that took effect on 10 October, aiming to halt more than two years of fighting that has devastated the Palestinian territory.

The return of Gvili’s remains paves the way for a limited reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, a key entry point for aid into Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had signaled pedestrian crossings would resume at Rafah, subject to Israeli inspections, once every hostage had been recovered.

Gvili’s coffin was accompanied by a convoy of cars with blaring sirens and flashing lights, passing civilians waving Israeli flags on the side of the road.

At a ceremony held at a military base near Gaza, the slain police officer’s father, Ytzik Gvili, addressed his son’s coffin, saying: “You should see the honors we’re giving you here.”