Trump Says Hamas Helped Recover Last Hostage, Urges Disarmament

U.S. President Donald Trump said the remains of Ran Gvili, the final Israeli hostage, have been recovered, marking the completion of phase one of his Middle East peace deal. With the return of Gvili’s body, all Israeli hostages—both living and deceased—have now been accounted for.

Hamas Cooperation Acknowledged

In an interview with Axios, Trump said Hamas assisted in the search effort, describing the operation as emotionally and physically difficult. He said teams had to search through hundreds of bodies before confirming the identification.

“They worked very hard to get the body back. They were working with Israel on it,” Trump said, adding that the scene was “very tough.” A senior US official later confirmed that Hamas cooperated fully and met their obligations under the agreement.

Pressure Mounts for Disarmament

Trump stressed that the next step must be the disarmament of Hamas, as outlined in the agreement. “Now we have to disarm Hamas like they promised,” he said.

Negotiations on Gaza’s demilitarization are expected to begin this week. According to US officials, the plan includes disarmament paired with a form of amnesty for Hamas members, followed by the establishment of a new governing and security framework in Gaza.

Skepticism in the Region

Despite the breakthrough, skepticism remains in Israel and across the region over whether Hamas will disarm peacefully and whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will allow the process to proceed without renewed military action.

Trump noted that similar doubts existed over whether all hostages could be recovered, a goal that has now been achieved. Israeli officials had previously believed some remains would be impossible to retrieve.

Rafah Crossing to Reopen

Meanwhile, Israel announced it will reopen the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt in a limited capacity later this week. The reopening, along with the recovery of Gvili’s body, removes the last major obstacles from phase one of the deal.

US officials said reconstruction of Gaza will not begin until demilitarization is completed and an International Stabilization Force is deployed, adding that Israel has committed to pulling back to the agreed security lines during the process.