Israel announced on Monday it had located the body of its last remaining hostage in Gaza.
The search for Ran Gvili's remains has been holding up the implementation of a ceasefire deal in Gaza and the opening of a key border crossing.
Mr Gvili's body has been identified by forensic experts and was being returned for burial, the Israeli army said. It said the remains were recovered by troops in Gaza during what was known as Operation Courageous Heart.
"There are officially no more hostages in captivity in Gaza," the military said. Hamas said it had provided information to help find Mr Gvili's body in what appeared to be a cemetery in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had said on Sunday that Israel would open the Rafah crossing, at Gaza's southern tip, only once Mr Gvili's remains were found.
Israel did not immediately confirm whether Rafah would now open. The prolonged closure of the crossing between Gaza and Egypt is regarded as a key unfulfilled element of US President Donald Trump's ceasefire deal.
Israel says it is willing to open the crossing "for pedestrian passage only" and "subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism" - meaning aid lorries would not be allowed into Gaza that way. Britain's Middle East Minister on Monday Hamish Falconer called for a "full reopening".
The ceasefire deal has brought some respite to Gazans after two years of war and famine, but Israel still frequently carries out attacks and has killed more than 440 people since the truce. It has also blocked the entry of supplies such as meat, tents, jackets and reconstruction equipment vital to keep shelters from damage in the winter.
Under the agreement, Israeli troops withdrew to an agreed "yellow line" within Gaza that still leaves them in control of a large chunk of the territory.
Hostage and detainee swap
The first phase of Mr Trump's plan provided for the release of 20 living Israeli hostages, and the return of 28 who had died, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees being freed by Israel.
Hamas and its allies had handed over remains of 27 of the 28 dead hostages by December. But the body of Mr Gvili, an Israeli police officer, proved more difficult to locate.
Israel gave few details of the operation that found him, but army radio said dozens of bodies had been examined in a Gaza cemetery. Mr Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner said the CIA, Israel and Egyptian intelligence had worked together on recovering hostages.
Mr Gvili, who was 24, was hailed as a hero for joining the fight against Hamas gunmen on October 7, 2023, despite a broken collarbone. He was seriously wounded and taken to Gaza. Israeli authorities confirmed his death in January 2024.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff had last week warned Hamas of "serious consequences" if it failed to return his remains.
Addressing the Israeli parliament on Monday, Mr Netanyahu said Israelis could now remove the yellow pins they wore to in support of the hostages, because "the mission is now complete".
"We have completed this mission, as I promised, and we will complete the other tasks we have set," he said.
Israeli army chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir spoke to Mr Gvili's family, offering "condolences, but also a very big hug", the military said. Footage aired on Israeli news channels showed dozens of soldiers arm in arm, purportedly at the site in Gaza where the body was discovered, singing a Hebrew song expressing hope and faith.
Rafah crossing
Ali Shaath, the head of a Palestinian committee handed interim charge of Gaza's day-to-day affairs, announced at the World Economic Forum last week that the Rafah crossing would open within days.
Under the US plan, the committee is supervised by an international Board of Peace, chaired by Mr Trump himself.
The Rafah crossing lies at Gaza’s southern tip. The city of Rafah has been largely destroyed by Israel’s attacks, which it described as a war against Hamas but were viewed by many countries and experts as a campaign of genocide against Palestinians.
Images of aid lorries queuing at the Rafah crossing have become a symbol of the humanitarian crisis inside Gaza. Some Palestinians were allowed to cross into Egypt for medical treatment during a previous ceasefire in 2025.
It is also a lifeline for Gazans who, even before October 7, 2023, depended on at least 600 lorries of aid a day. This number has dwindled significantly during the two-year war, and despite the ceasefire mandating that aid returns to prewar figures, only an average of 144 lorries a day entered in November and 158 in December.
In December, Israel suggested the Rafah crossing would open in one direction only, allowing Gazans to leave for Egypt. But Egypt and several other Arab countries rejected that, fearing a plan to push Palestinians off their land for good.
