Washington, Jan 26 (.) US President Donald Trump, celebrating the return of the final deceased Israeli hostage from Gaza, hailed the recovery effort, expressing his disbelief at a task he thought impossible.
“Just recovered the last Hostage body in GAZA. Thus, got back ALL 20 of the living Hostages, and ALL of the Dead! AMAZING JOB! Most thought of it as an impossible thing to do. Congratulations to my great team of Champions!!!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump’s top aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner explaining the retrieval, hailed the coordination between the US, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar and “many cooperative Gazans” who helped locate and facilitate the return of all the deceased hostages from Gaza.
“Coordination and trust were built between individuals and organisations where none previously existed. This produced tangible results,” Kushner wrote in an X post.
“Helping the people of Gaza start a new chapter free from the tyranny of Hamas is a critical mission to prevent future death and destruction for Israelis and Palestinians.
“This will also eliminate a flashpoint manipulated by disingenuous actors to mobilize antisemitism and other forms of division and hatred.”
“We are trying new approaches, hoping to achieve new outcomes. This is an end, but also a new beginning,” Kushner added.
The Israeli military announced earlier Monday that it had located and recovered the body of Sgt. 1st Class Ran Gvili.
“With this, all hostages have been returned from the Gaza Strip,” it added.
The announcement came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt after the return of Gvili’s body.
The recovery of Gvili’s remains was a prerequisite for advancing the Trump administration’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.
With no more hostages remaining in Gaza for the first time since 2014, the deal now moves into a second phase.
This development paves the way for the scheduled reopening of the Rafah border crossing to Egypt for both passenger movement and increased humanitarian aid.
The peace plan envisions a transition of governance in Gaza to a Palestinian technocratic committee and the deployment of an international stabilization force.
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