Israeli officials issued a sharply worded demand Wednesday after determining that Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives know the location of the remains of St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage whose body has not been recovered from Gaza. The revelation has injected renewed tension into ongoing negotiations and threatens to halt the next phase of the ceasefire framework unless his remains are returned.

Senior Israeli officials told Ynet that Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is withholding crucial information. “There are people in the Islamic Jihad organization who know where Ran is,” one official said, describing recent exchanges with mediators as “intense” and “unambiguous.” According to the official, Israel delivered a “strong message” through a senior intermediary, stressing that recovery of Gvili’s remains is a nonnegotiable condition for any further agreement.

“This issue is not tactical,” the Israeli official said. “It is highly significant in the implementation of the agreement. The Islamic Jihad’s claim is false. We take the statement very seriously and strongly reject it. Hamas is obligated to return all the fallen, and responsibility lies with them.”

The remarks came one day after PIJ released a statement claiming it had “closed the file” on Gaza hostages, insisting via Telegram that it had handed over “the final remains” of captives on December 2. PIJ spokesperson Abu Hamza asserted the group bore no further responsibility.

Israeli officials dismissed the declaration as an attempt to deflect accountability. According to N12, Gal Hirsch, Israel’s Coordinator for POW and Missing Persons, issued a blunt response to mediators: “Islamic Jihad’s statement is unacceptable to us. There are those who know where Ran is being held. We will not let this go.”

Hirsch, who held talks in Cairo last Thursday, has been coordinating intelligence, diplomatic pressure, and military search operations in an effort to locate Gvili’s remains. Despite the PIJ statement, Israeli forces continued targeted searches inside Gaza on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Israeli officials say the return of Gvili is now a binding prerequisite for the next phase of the agreement being negotiated. “Without Ran’s return, the next stage cannot proceed,” one official said. Hirsch reiterated the point directly: “We will not relent until he is returned to his grave in Israel.”

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