Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Israel said on Sunday its forces were launching a “massive operation” to find the last of the hostages in Gaza. washington and other mediators to pressure Israel Hamas Entering the next phase of the ceasefire.
The statement was made in Israel cabinet The meeting comes just a day after top US envoys met with the prime minister to discuss the possibility of opening Gaza’s main Rafah crossing with Egypt Benjamin Netanyahu About the next step.
It is widely believed that the return of the remaining hostage, Ram Gweli, removes the remaining obstacles to the continued opening of the Rafah crossing and will mark the second phase of the ceasefire.
The repatriation of all remaining hostages, living or dead, is a core part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on October 10. Before Sunday, the previous hostage had been freed in early December.
While Israel has conducted searches for Gweli before, this time it released more details than usual. The Israeli military said it was searching a cemetery in northern Gaza near the Yellow Line, which marks parts of the territory controlled by Israel.
Separately, an Israeli military official said Gweli may be buried in the Shujaiyya-Daraj Tuffah area, and rabbis and dental experts are at the site with specialized search teams. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing an operation that was still ongoing.
Gweli’s family urged Netanyahu’s government not to enter the second phase of the ceasefire before returning his body.
But pressure has been building, and the Trump administration has announced in recent days that Phase 2 is underway.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of dragging its feet in freeing the last hostage. Hamas said in a statement on Sunday that it had provided all information about Gweli’s remains and accused Israel of hindering efforts to search for the remains in Gaza, which is under Israeli military control.
___
For more AP coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war