Israel received a body that Hamas said was one of the last two deceased hostages in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, as Israel said it would allow Gaza's gateway to Egypt to open once all hostages were returned.
The body of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, the last of the living and deceased hostages to be returned, is still in Gaza.
Rinthalak's body was transferred from Gaza by the Red Cross, and was handed over to the Israeli military to be sent for forensic identification, a statement from the prime minister's office said.
The handover of the last hostages' bodies in Gaza would complete a key condition of the initial part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the two-year Gaza war, which also provides for the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to open in both directions.
COGAT, the Israeli military arm that oversees humanitarian matters, said the Rafah crossing would be opened in the coming days to allow Palestinians to cross into Egypt.
The decision to open the crossing for those seeking to leave Gaza was made in "full coordination" with those that have mediated between Israel and Hamas during the war, Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters.
COGAT said it would be opened under the supervision of a European Union mission - a similar mechanism to that employed during a previous Gaza ceasefire agreed in January 2025.
Before the war, the Rafah crossing was the only direct exit point for most Palestinians in Gaza to reach the outside world and was a key entry point for aid into the territory. It has been mostly closed throughout the conflict.
Violence has tailed off since the 10 October ceasefire but Israel has continued to strike Gaza and conduct demolitions against what it says is Hamas infrastructure. Hamas and Israel have traded blame for violating the U.S.-backed agreement.
Medics at Khan Younis' Al-Kuwaiti Hospital said they recovered the bodies of five Palestinians, including two children, after an Israeli missile attack on Wednesday evening at an encampment in western Khan Younis.
The Israeli military said its strike in Khan Younis targeted a "Hamas terrorist", without providing further details. It said the attack came in response to an attack on its troops in Rafah earlier on Wednesday that wounded five soldiers.
Hamas said the Israeli attack was a "disregard to the ceasefire agreement," adding Israel had "full responsibility" for the consequences of the escalation.
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Hamas is set to cede power in Gaza, as a U.S.-backed Palestinian committee prepares to take over the administration of the territory, Palestinian sources reported.
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Hamas is set to cede power in Gaza, as a U.S.-backed Palestinian committee prepares to take over the administration of the territory, Palestinian sources reported.
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