The bittersweet news that Israelis have been waiting for finally came on Monday.
The body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last slain hostage held in Gaza, was found by the IDF and returned to Israel for a proper burial.
Gvili’s return is a cathartic moment for Israel, as there are now no living or dead Israeli hostages in Gaza for the first time since 2014.
It is also an important one for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he had been pushed in recent days into allowing the re-opening of the Rafah Crossing before Gvili’s body had been found.
It doesn’t mean Netanyahu is out of the weeds, however.
Over the past few days, Israel’s control over the future of the Gaza Strip seems to have slipped drastically.
But Israel still retains control of key facets of the Strip, and maintains a potential pathway to continuing to assert itself in the future of the enclave, via US President Donald Trump.
It may still hope to arrest the accelerating rush toward phase two of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and the start of reconstruction under the aegis of those it does not trust, though doing so will likely necessitate convincing the US leader.
Read the full story at Times of Israel.
Published originally on January 26, 2026.
