Nearly 800 days after he was captured and killed during the October 7 Hamas-led assault, the body of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili remains missing in Gaza, and terror groups now say they are unable to locate it.
On Saturday, both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed that despite extensive searches in areas of eastern Gaza believed to be linked to the case, they have failed to find Gvili’s remains.
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Ran Gvili; search for the body of a hostage in Gaza
(Photo: Israel Police, REUTERS/Stringer)
The denial comes after Israel rejected PIJ’s earlier assertion that it had already returned all the hostages and remains in its custody and provided new intelligence to mediators in an effort to locate Gvili.
Speaking to the Saudi-owned Arabic-language newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Palestinian sources insisted there was no tension or lack of coordination between Hamas and PIJ in ongoing efforts to locate Gvili. A Hamas source said searches had been conducted in four locations in the Gaza City neighborhoods of Shijaiyah and Zeitoun—sites Israel believes are connected to Gvili’s capture—but “no findings were discovered.”
According to Hamas, one reason for the failure to locate the body may be that “all those involved in his detention were killed in Israeli airstrikes,” and that widespread destruction and tunneling in the area have further complicated efforts.
Earlier this week, the coordinator for hostages and missing persons in the Prime Minister's Office, Gal Hirsch, passed satellite imagery, names of suspected operatives and additional intelligence to international mediators in hopes of locating Gvili.
An Israeli official told ynet that “there are people within Islamic Jihad who know where Ran is. A senior message was conveyed to the mediators. We sent a strong message to a senior mediator, and conveyed detailed intelligence during Gal Hirsch’s meetings in Cairo last Thursday. We will not rest until Ran is brought back for burial in Israel.”
IDF operating in Syria
The Syrian state news agency SANA reported Saturday that Israeli forces entered the village of Sayda al-Khanout in the southern Quneitra countryside, conducting searches and field interrogations. According to the report, six Israeli military vehicles entered the area, where troops set up checkpoints and searched at least four homes.
SANA claimed that IDF incursions into southern Syria, particularly in Quneitra province near the Israeli border, have become “almost daily,” often involving arrests and heightened military presence, leading to rising public anger, according to the agency.
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United Nations investigation team arrives in Quneitra to document alleged property damage and civil rights violations attributed to the IDF
The report also alleged that the Israeli military offered humanitarian aid to residents of the village, but locals refused to accept it. Meanwhile, a United Nations investigation team reportedly arrived in Quneitra to document alleged property damage and civil rights violations attributed to the IDF.
Reports of Israeli Strikes in Lebanon
Separately, Lebanese media reported IDF mortar fire on the town of al-Dhahira in southern Lebanon, along with extensive drone activity over Beirut’s southern suburbs. One drone reportedly launched munitions near Ras al-Naqoura, a coastal area near the Israeli border.
Amid growing fears of escalation, Lebanon’s foreign minister said Friday that Arab and international sources had warned Beirut of a potential large-scale Israeli military operation.
On Friday, the IDF confirmed it had struck a Hezbollah training facility used by its elite Radwan forces—the second such strike this week. Earlier in the week, another Hezbollah training site had also been targeted.
“As part of their training, terrorists at the site practiced live fire and weapons handling to prepare for attacks against Israeli forces and civilians,” the IDF said in a statement. “Additional Hezbollah military infrastructure was targeted across southern Lebanon. Conducting military exercises and building terror infrastructure intended for attacks against Israel violates prior understandings and poses a threat to the State of Israel.”
On Tuesday, rare footage published in Syria showed Syrian regime security forces driving past IDF vehicles near the town of Khan Arnabah, close to Quneitra. The area is reportedly one where limited military and police activity by the regime is permitted, and the Israeli military presence was likely temporary, tied to arrest and search operations.