New intelligence pressures Hamas and Islamic Jihad as Israel forces terror groups toward unavoidable disarmament.
Israel believes it has uncovered a significant new lead that may finally help identify the burial site of Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, the final murdered hostage whose body remains in Gaza. Search teams from Hamas and the Red Cross are expected to resume their operations today (Sunday) in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, amid growing international pressure and Israel’s tightening demands.
According to reporting on Kan Reshet Bet, Israeli officials say the emerging intelligence is “promising” and could directly guide search teams to the precise site where Gvili was hidden. The 24-year-old Yasam police officer was killed fighting terrorists on October 7 after rushing to the Gaza border to defend civilians. His body was then abducted into Gaza by Hamas operatives.
Hamas’s Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya told Al Jazeera on Saturday that search teams will “enter new areas in the Strip that have not yet been searched” in an effort to locate Gvili’s remains — a statement Israeli analysts interpret as a tactical move by Hamas to advance the next phase of the hostage agreement and avoid even harsher consequences.
An Israeli official was blunt:
“Hamas already understands it has no choice but to accept disarmament and demilitarization. Either they agree, or we will disarm them. Israel will not leave a threat in Gaza.”
Israel has also informed mediators that individuals inside Islamic Jihad possess direct knowledge of where Gvili’s body is being held, and that Hamas itself “knows how to reach him.” Channel 12 reported that Israel provided detailed information regarding Gvili’s potential location and is demanding urgent, intensive, and effective action to retrieve him.
With Hamas cornered, Islamic Jihad exposed, and Israeli intelligence tightening, Jerusalem believes this may be the closest moment yet to bringing the fallen hero home for a proper burial — restoring dignity long denied by Gaza’s terror factions.
