Israel Conducts Major Search for Last Gaza Hostage

Israel announced on Sunday that its military is carrying out a “large-scale operation” to locate the last hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili. The operation comes as the United States and other mediators press Israel and Hamas to move forward with the next phase of the ceasefire.

The Israeli Cabinet met to discuss opening Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing with Egypt. A day earlier, top U.S. envoys met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to plan next steps. The return of Gvili is seen as the main obstacle to opening the Rafah crossing and advancing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire’s second phase.

Netanyahu’s office said: “Upon completion of this operation, and in accordance with what has been agreed with the United States, Israel will open the Rafah crossing.” Military officials indicated the operation could take several days.

The recovery of all hostages, alive or dead, is central to the first phase of the ceasefire, which began on October 10. The previous hostage was recovered in early December.

For this operation, Israel’s military is searching a cemetery in northern Gaza near the Yellow Line, marking Israeli-controlled areas. Another possible location is the Shijaiya-Tuffah area of Gaza City, with rabbis and dental experts assisting the search teams.

Gvili’s family has urged the government not to move to the second phase of the ceasefire until his remains are returned. The Trump administration, however, has already indicated the second phase is underway.

Israel has accused Hamas of delaying the recovery of Gvili. Hamas said it shared all information it had and blamed Israel for obstructing searches in areas under Israeli control.

Separate Incident: UN Agency Fire in East Jerusalem

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in east Jerusalem was set on fire overnight, days after parts of the compound were demolished by Israel. The cause of the fire is unknown. Israeli settlers were reportedly seen looting furniture from the site. Israeli fire teams prevented the blaze from spreading.

UNRWA provides aid to 2.5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, and east Jerusalem, and 3 million more in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. The agency said the fire is the “latest attack on the U.N. in the ongoing attempt to dismantle the status of Palestine refugees.”

Israel has long accused UNRWA of being infiltrated by Hamas and claimed some employees were involved in the 2023 attack that triggered the two-year war in Gaza. UNRWA denied these allegations and stated that accused employees faced swift action.