Body of last Israeli prisoner recovered in Gaza, Rafah crossing may be opened

Israel said the body of Ran Givili, the last Israeli prisoner held in the Gaza Strip, has been recovered. Tel Aviv believes that this has paved the way for the implementation of the next phase of the ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States in October.

Israeli army spokesman Avighai Adrai said that Ran Givili's identity was confirmed after a joint examination by the National Center for Forensic Medicine, the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate. His family was then informed that the body had been returned for burial.

Adrai also claimed that "this has made it possible to repatriate all Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip." Before the announcement, Hamas' military wing said that it had provided all information about the possible location of the body of the last prisoner to the ceasefire mediators.

Israel had previously announced that the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt would reopen once the last prisoner was found. However, authorities have clarified that the border crossing will initially be open only to limited human traffic. Incidentally, more than 80 percent of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged in the long-running war. Human rights groups have described the operation as genocide.

Al Jazeera reports.