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Israelis light the 8th candle of Hanukkah in Hostage Square holding placards bearing the face of Ran Gvili in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Dec. 21,2025,as they call for the return of his remains.
Ilia Yefimovich/AFP via Getty Images
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Ilia Yefimovich/AFP via Getty Images
Israel said Monday it identified the body of the final Israeli hostage in Gaza and returned it to Israel, paving the way for the long-awaited next steps in President Trump’s peace plan.
Trump’s plan also says an “international stabilization force” of troops from various countries will deploy to Gaza, retrained Palestinian police would take over security and a Palestinian technocratic committee would take over governance from Hamas.
Hamas spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, said in a statement that the finding of the last Israeli body in Gaza confirmed Hamas’ commitment to the ceasefire’s requirements and that the Rafah crossing should open without delay.
Gaza’s Civil Defense rescue services said thousands of bodies of Palestinian civilians remain under the rubble of buildings bombed by Israel in more than two years of war, saying their retrieval has been impractical due to the lack of heavy equipment. They called for heavy equipment to retrieve the dead and reconstruction materials to be brought through the Rafah crossing.
Palestinian activists, meanwhile, accuse Israel of continuing to hold the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians, including children.
This is a developing story that may be updated.
Israeli soldiers continue search operations for the remains of an israeli hostage in a mass grave located in the Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza city, Gaza Strip, on Monday. Tanks and heavy machinery belonging to the Israeli army are observed operating in the area during the ongoing excavation and recovery efforts.
Anadolu/Getty Images
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Anadolu/Getty Images
