Gaza Operation Ends: Israel Returns Last Hostage's Body

• 27.01.2026, 10:35

Netanyahu emphasized that he had fulfilled his promise.

The Israel Defense Forces have confirmed that the body of the last hostage held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023 attack has been found.

The CNN writes.

The body had been in Gaza for 843 days

The last hostage identified was reportedly policeman Ran Gwili, who was kidnapped after he was killed in an attack on Israel and captured by militants.

Journalists write that Gwili's body had been in Gaza for nearly 843 days since his abduction.

The remains were discovered during an operation in an eastern Gaza cemetery, where experts examined some 250 burials to find a match based on DNA evidence.

After identification, the body will be given to the family for burial.

International reaction

Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog called the event a symbolic end to a difficult phase for the nation and noted that for the first time since 2014, there were no Israeli hostages left in Gaza, alive or dead.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu emphasized that he had fulfilled his promise to bring home absolutely all citizens who had been held captive.

U.S. authorities also reacted to the news, calling the return of the last body a direct result of U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to free and return the hostages.