Israel Intensifies Search for Final Hostage in Gaza

On Sunday, Israel declared that its military has commenced a “large-scale operation” aimed at locating the last hostage, Ran Gvili, in Gaza. This initiative unfolds as the United States and other mediators urge both Israel and Hamas to progress with the subsequent phase of the ceasefire.

The Israeli Cabinet convened to deliberate on the potential reopening of Gaza’s pivotal Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Just a day prior, senior U.S. envoys met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strategize future actions. The release of Gvili is seen as a significant hurdle to reopening the Rafah crossing and facilitating the next phase in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

Netanyahu's office commented, “Upon successful completion of this operation, and in accord with agreements reached with the United States, Israel intends to open the Rafah crossing.” Military officials have suggested that the operation could extend over several days.

The retrieval of all hostages, regardless of their condition, remains central to the initial phase of the ceasefire initiated on October 10. The last hostage was recovered at the beginning of December.

In this operation, Israeli forces are focusing their search on a cemetery in northern Gaza near the Yellow Line, which denotes Israeli-controlled regions. Another target area is the Shijaiya-Tuffah zone of Gaza City, where rabbis and dental experts are collaborating with search teams.

Gvili’s family has implored the government to hold off on moving to the next phase of the ceasefire until his remains are recovered. However, indications from the Trump administration suggest that the second phase is already in motion.

Israel has accused Hamas of stalling the recovery efforts for Gvili, while Hamas claims it has provided all available information and blames Israel for hindering searches in Israeli-controlled territories.

Separate Incident: Fire at UN Agency in East Jerusalem

The UN agency tasked with Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) located in east Jerusalem was set ablaze overnight, shortly after parts of the facility were destroyed by Israel. The cause of the fire remains unclear. Reports indicate that Israeli settlers were seen taking furniture from the site while Israeli fire crews managed to contain the flames.

UNRWA assists approximately 2.5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, and east Jerusalem and another 3 million across Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. The agency decried the incident as the “latest assault on the U.N. amid ongoing efforts to undermine the status of Palestine refugees.”

For years, Israel has accused UNRWA of harboring Hamas infiltrators and alleged that some staff members were complicit in the attack that sparked the two-year conflict in Gaza. UNRWA has refuted these claims and asserted that swift actions will be taken against any accused personnel.