‘Israel’ awaits return of last captive from Gaza

‘Israel’ awaited the return of the last captive remains held by Palestinian groups in Gaza, as the military said on Thursday that those of a Thai national had been identified after they were handed over.

Under the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire between ‘Israel’ and Hamas in Gaza, Hamas was due to return all 48 captives they held captive, 20 of whom were still alive.

All but the remains of ‘Israeli’ Ran Gvili have since been handed over, though ‘Israel’ has accused Hamas of dragging their feet on returning bodies.

Hamas has said the process of retrieving the remains has been slow because they have been buried under the vast piles of rubble left by two years of devastating ‘Israeli’ assault.

‘Israel’ sent a delegation on Thursday to Cairo to discuss efforts for the return of the last captive's remains in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

The last captive body held in Gaza is Ran Gvili, an officer in ‘Israel's’ Yasam elite police unit who was 24 in 2023.

‘Israel's’ assault on Gaza has killed at least 70,125 people, according to figures from the health ministry in the territory that the UN considers reliable.

Accusations of violations

The return of Rinthalak's body happened while the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on October 10, remained fragile, with both sides accusing each other of violating the terms.

Gaza's civil defence agency said on Wednesday an ‘Israeli’ strike in Al-Mawasi in the south of the Palestinian territory killed five people including two children.

The ‘Israeli’ military claimed it targeted a Hamas fighter in southern Gaza in response to an alleged clash with Palestinian fighters in the area that wounded five soldiers.

AFP footage showed dozens of distraught mourners in the southern city of Khan Yunis on Thursday gathering to bid farewell to the dead.