Israel has received multiple new leads in recent weeks pointing to the possible burial site of St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage from the October 7 attacks, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The leads, described by officials as credible but still unverified, center on the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives had been searching the area until severe weather from Storm Byron forced them to halt operations on Wednesday.

For Jerusalem, the new information marks the most significant progress in weeks. Senior Israeli officials say the latest leads could narrow the search dramatically, but stress that until the remains are retrieved, there will be no movement toward the next stage of the proposed cease-fire and reconstruction plan.

“We are applying very strong and clear pressure,” a security official said. “Until Gvili’s remains are returned, there will be no progress.”

Mediators have been relaying Israel’s message directly to Hamas: without the recovery of Gvili’s remains, neither political nor humanitarian arrangements will advance. Construction materials, border openings, and discussions about Gaza’s postwar governance all remain frozen pending confirmation of the remains’ location.

Israel believes Hamas and Islamic Jihad already know where Gvili is buried. One official familiar with the intelligence said the groups “have the ability to find him,” but are not sufficiently motivated.

Israeli pressure earlier in the week prompted both Hamas and PIJ to intensify their searches. But officials fear the groups may withhold information to extract political concessions.

Washington, which has been pushing Israel to move to Phase II of the cease-fire framework, now views the recovery of Gvili’s remains as the unavoidable prerequisite. U.S. officials expect Israel to resume work on postwar planning only once the case is resolved.

That includes deliberations over border crossings, the role of an international stabilization force, and the formation of a Palestinian technocratic administration.

Storm Byron briefly paused all search operations on Wednesday, but Israeli officials say conditions were expected to improve enough for Hamas and PIJ teams to return to the field on Friday.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)