The Israeli military confirmed that Hamas has returned the body of the last hostage to them after nearly four months of searching, opening the way to advance to phase two of the peace plan.
On Monday, 26 Jan 2026 GMT+7, the Israeli military revealed they have received the body of Sergeant Ran Kwili, the last remaining hostage in the Gaza Strip, from Hamas nearly four months after the two sides agreed to a ceasefire, halting a war that had lasted over two years.
Under the agreement, Hamas was required to return all hostages, both living and deceased, within 72 hours after the ceasefire took effect in October. Hamas had already returned all 20 living hostages and gradually returned the bodies of 27 Israeli and foreign hostages, leaving only Sergeant Kwili's body remaining.
Last Sunday, Israel announced it would reopen a key crossing point between the Gaza Strip and Egypt once the operation to locate and return Sergeant Kwili’s body was completed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the return of Sergeant Kwili’s body as an extraordinary achievement. “We promised, and I promised, to bring everyone home. We have brought everyone back up to the last hostage,” he said.
Hashem Qassem, a spokesperson for Hamas, said that the discovery of the last hostage’s body “confirms Hamas’s commitment to all the terms of the ceasefire agreement.”
The return of Sergeant Kwili’s body paves the way for Israel and Hamas to proceed to “phase 2” of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
Phase two aims to rehabilitate and make the Gaza Strip completely demilitarized, including disarming Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups. Previously, Israel had refused to proceed until Sergeant Kwili’s body was found.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated in a press release, “Based on existing information and intelligence, Sergeant (Res.) Ran Kwili, a 24-year-old Yamam commando unit warrior, died in combat on the morning of 7 Oct 2023, and his body was abducted to the Gaza Strip.”
The Hamas attack on 7 Oct 2023 resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and about 251 Israelis and foreigners taken hostage. Most hostages have been released alive over the past two years in exchange for the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
Source:bbc