The armed wing of Hamas on January 25 said it informed mediators of the location of the body of the last Israeli soldier held in Gaza and that Israeli forces are searching an area based on the information provided, said an Anadolu report. The group shared “all available details” with mediators regarding the body of Israeli soldier Ran Gvili, Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman said in a statement.
“The (Israeli) enemy is now conducting searches in one of the locations based on the information we provided,” he said, adding that the group handled the issue of captives and remains “with full transparency.”
He said Al-Qassam fulfilled its obligations under the ceasefire agreement by handing over all captives and remains “as quickly as possible,” accusing Israel of failing to fully comply with the deal. He added that the group was seeking to close the file and called on mediators to ensure implementation of the agreement.
The Israeli army said that it is searching for the remains of Gvili, and the search operation began over the weekend, “based on intelligence information that his body was buried at a Muslim cemetery in eastern Gaza City, near the neighbourhoods of Shejaiya, Daraj, and Tuffah,” according to The Times of Israel.
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the search effort in northern Gaza for Gvili’s body will “continue as long as necessary,” the newspaper, The Times of Israel reported.