Final Israeli hostage body recovered from Gaza, says Trump

The recovery of the final Israeli hostage's remains from the Gaza Strip has been confirmed, bringing a formal close to operations to repatriate all captives. US President Donald Trump publicly hailed the achievement on Monday, crediting his administration for what he described as a mission many deemed impossible.

Trump Claims Credit for 'Amazing Job'

Taking to his Truth Social platform, President Trump announced, "Just recovered the last hostage body in Gaza. Thus, got back all 20 of the living hostages, and all of the dead! Amazing job!" He extended congratulations to his team, writing, "Most thought of it as an impossible thing to do. Congratulations to my great team of champions!!!" The statement frames the recovery as a significant diplomatic and operational victory for his administration.

Identification and Israeli Announcement

The Israeli military issued its own statement earlier on Monday, confirming that soldiers had located and recovered the body. The deceased was identified as Sgt. 1st Class Ran Gvili. The military stated that his body would be returned to his family for burial and noted, "With this, all hostages have been returned from the Gaza Strip." This military confirmation provided the official details underpinning Trump's social media announcement.

Hamas Involvement and Next Steps in Ceasefire Plan

In a subsequent interview with Axios, President Trump revealed that the Palestinian group Hamas had assisted in locating the soldier's body. "They worked very hard to get the body back. They were working with Israel on it. You can imagine how hard it was," Trump said. He immediately pivoted to the next phase of his proposed plan, adding, "Now we have to disarm Hamas like they promised." This condition links the successful hostage recovery to future demands for the group's demilitarization. Concurrently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would reopen following the return of Gvili's body, suggesting a potential de-escalatory step.