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Israelis light the 8th candle of Hanukkah in Hostage Square holding placards bearing the face of Ran Gvili in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Dec. 21, 2025, as they call for the return of his remains. Ilia Yefimovich/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
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Ilia Yefimovich/AFP via Getty Images
The Israeli military says the body of the final Israeli hostage taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks has been identified and returned to Israel.
The military said in a statement that Ran Gvili, 24, a special forces policeman, was killed while fighting Hamas militants during the Oct. 7 attack and his body was taken to Gaza.
The military said it launched a "large-scale operation" for his body over the weekend in a cemetery in northern Gaza, on the Israeli-occupied side of Gaza, acting based on intelligence.
Hamas-led fighters captured 251 hostages in Israel on Oct 7, 2023, according to Israeli authorities.
"The return of Ran, of blessed memory, for burial is a painful moment of closure — with the return of the last hostage from the Gaza Strip to Israeli soil," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
This is expected to mark the end of the first phase of the U.S.-backed ceasefire in the war in Gaza.
It could also pave the way for another big step: Israel says it will allow Gaza's border crossing with Egypt to reopen again for Palestinians to enter and exit.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Israeli soldiers continue search operations for the remains of an Israeli hostage in a mass grave located in the Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, on Monday. Tanks and heavy machinery belonging to the Israeli army are observed operating in the area during the ongoing excavation and recovery efforts. Anadolu/Getty Images hide caption
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Anadolu/Getty Images
