Israeli forces were searching a cemetery in Gaza for the remains of Ran Gvili, the last hostage still held in the Palestinian territory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Sunday.
The announcement came shortly after Hamas's armed wing said in a statement that it had provided information on the location of the slain police officer's body.
"The operation is taking place at a cemetery in northern Gaza and involves extensive search efforts, making full use of all available intelligence. This effort will continue for as long as necessary," Netanyahu's office said.
The Israeli military confirmed troops were engaged in a "targeted operation in the area of the Yellow Line in northern Gaza to retrieve the body" of Gvili.
Under a US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, Israeli forces have withdrawn to positions in Gaza behind the so-called "Yellow Line", though they remain in control of more than half of the territory.
Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas's Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, had said on Sunday that the group "provided mediators with all the details and information in our possession regarding the location of the captive's body".
Obeida added in his Telegram post that "the enemy (Israel) is currently searching one of the sites based on information transmitted by the Al-Qassam Brigades".
All of the 251 people taken hostage during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war have since been returned, both living and dead, except for Gvili.
A non-commissioned officer in the Israeli police's elite Yassam unit, Gvili was killed in action on the day of the attack and his body taken to Gaza.
