Israel launches a “large-scale operation” to locate the last hostage in Gaza

Israel — Israel said on Sunday that its military was conducting a “large-scale operation” to locate the last hostage in Gaza , while Washington and other mediators are pressing Israel and Hamas to move forward to the next phase of their ceasefire .

The statement came as the Israeli Cabinet met to discuss the possibility of opening the key Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, and a day after top US envoys met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss next steps. The return of the remaining hostage, Ran Gvili, has been widely seen as the removal of the remaining obstacle to advancing with the opening of the Rafah crossing and proceeding with the second phase of the ceasefire negotiated by the United States.

On Sunday evening, Netanyahu’s office declared: “Once these operations are completed, and in accordance with what was agreed with the United States, Israel will open the Rafah crossing.” No details were given about the duration of the process, but local media cited Israeli military officials who stated that the operation could take days.