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For more than two years, israelis Wearing yellow ribbons pinned to their collars, they gathered to commemorate the hostages kidnapped on one of the deadliest days in the country’s history. But on Tuesday, they took off the ribbons and turned off the clock, marking the end of this painful chapter. tel avivHostage Square tracks the time hostages spend in captivity.
Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old policeman who died in the fighting, returns home Hamas The actions of militants in the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, fulfilled the hope of repatriating all hostages, living or dead, across the country.
But before he can be remembered across the country and ahead of his funeral on Wednesday, forensic teams searched a cemetery in the north. GazaHis remains are being found, exhumed and identified as part of a wide-ranging effort involving search teams, intelligence officers and forensic dentists.
The October 2025 ceasefire requires Hamas to return 20 hostages and the remains of 28 dead in the first phase of the agreement. On the day the ceasefire came into effect, the living hostages and the remains of the four dead were handed over. Efforts to resume more have become a sticking point after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu linked the reopening of the crossing in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah to their return. Under the terms of the deal, Israel promised to return 15 bodies Palestinian Every Israeli body found is under its custody.
A spokesman for Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, said investigators made a breakthrough after questioning a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group who provided information that helped corroborate the intelligence, which led to the discovery of Gweli’s body. The Shin Bet said the body had been moved several times.
“More than 20 dentists from the unit worked together for more than 24 hours and scanned approximately 250 bodies until the identity of Sergeant Major Ran Gweli was determined,” said a military official who requested anonymity in accordance with army regulations.
Thousands of people watched, some cheering, as the clock stood at 843 days, 12 hours, 5 minutes and 59 seconds on Tuesday in Hostage Square – a bittersweet ending to a place that has become the focus of the campaign to free the hostages.
“It’s both happy and sad, we’ve been waiting for a miracle and even though all signs were that he would come back alive, it’s such a relief that it’s finally over,” said Karen Gafen Solomon, who participated in the hostage protest. “This has been the most important thing in our lives for the past two years and two months.”
Account conflict
Militant groups in Gaza have disputed Israel’s account of how Gweli’s body was found, and both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad said they had provided information to Israel about the search for the remains.
Islamic Jihad’s military wing, Saraya al-Quds, said it shared the coordinates with Israel through Arab mediators and accused Israel of delaying the search. Hamas said it also provided information.
Palestinians living nearby said remains dug up during searches were left exposed in the cemetery and not reburied.
“Our dead are in the open. They don’t bury them or just cover them with soil,” said Mohammed Maat, whose relatives are buried in the cemetery. He and others said they tried to reach the area on Tuesday but were turned away by Israeli forces. An Israeli drone strike killed two people while trying to reach the area and were taken to Shifa hospital, where they were pronounced dead, according to hospital officials.
The Israeli military said it had no knowledge of the attack and warned against relying on unconfirmed reports.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassam said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had dug “hundreds of graves,” calling it an act of disrespect.
Human remains have profound importance in both Judaism and Islam, which emphasize prompt burial and respect for the body.
“Things should be better than this”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the return of Gweli’s remains “closes the circle” for Israel, while U.S. envoy Steve Witkov called it “a new day in the Middle East” on Tuesday. But in Gaza, families sheltering in tents without fuel for heat say today feels like yesterday.
In Khan Younis, they question whether their lives will improve quickly as the ceasefire enters its second phase, with some doubting whether Israel will deliver on a promised breakthrough.
“The crossing should be open now after the body of the last soldier was found,” said Ali Abu Al-Eish, a former resident of Rafah. “Why is it still closed? We have many patients here. The situation should be better than this. Enough is enough.”
“Why are Hamas and Israel stalled?” said Ada Abu Deheisha. “Let them come to an agreement and solve this problem for us. We want to return to our land and our homes.”
Both are among about a million former residents displaced from Rafah, which remains an Israeli military zone. Israeli officials said the crossing was expected to reopen in a limited manner upon Gweli’s return.
Main questions remain unanswered
Israel said Rafah would initially be open only to people and not goods, which would continue to enter Gaza through Israeli crossings. But it gave no details on who would be eligible to pass and whether the departure would be limited to medical evacuees. It is unclear when aid from Egypt will be allowed in.
Neither side initially backed out of the four-month ceasefire, as international mediators urged Israel and Hamas to take next steps. These are expected to be more challenging. In addition to reopening Rafah, it also includes demilitarizing the strip after nearly two decades of Hamas rule.
Details of President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan released in October are vague, and big questions about the next phase of the ceasefire have gone unanswered. These include when Israel might allow access to Gaza for a meeting of the Palestinian Technical Experts Committee in Cairo, and when Israeli forces might withdraw from areas it currently controls, allowing displaced Palestinians to return.
Other uncertainties include how new governance arrangements will be implemented and monitored, and what conditions will need to be met before large-scale redevelopment can take place.
Gaza’s health ministry has recorded that 488 people have died on both sides of the Yellow Line, where Israeli forces retreated in October, since the ceasefire began. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains casualty records that are generally considered reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.
Hospitals and the health ministry continue to report new deaths almost daily, although the death toll has slowed since the ceasefire, with the total toll reaching 71,662 as of Tuesday.
The ministry said on Tuesday that some 20,000 Palestinians require medical evacuations from Gaza. Flights to Egypt are expected to be among the first allowed to pass through the Rafah crossing.
___ Magdi reported from Cairo. Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv and Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel, also contributed.
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For more AP coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war