Expert conclusions confirmed that the discovered remains belong to police officer Ran Gwili, who was killed in a battle with terrorists on October 7, 2023. After his death, the body was moved to Gaza.
The day before, Israeli authorities reported the beginning of a large-scale operation to search for the remains of Ran Gwili in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview with Axios, noted that HAMAS assisted in the search for Ran Gwili's body. "They worked very hard to return this body, collaborating with Israel. It wasn't easy... Now we need to disarm HAMAS, as they promised," he emphasized.
The return of all hostages and the bodies of the deceased became a crucial condition for the first stage of the plan to end the conflict in Gaza, which was signed in October 2025. HAMAS transferred live hostages to Israel in stages until early December.
On January 25, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that after the remains of Ran Gwili were found, the IDF would open the Rafah crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip with Egypt and serves as an important channel for delivering humanitarian aid to the region. These actions are part of the second stage of the peace plan.
