Israel pressures mediators to instruct Hamas to resume search for body of last hostage Ran Gvili

Israel is exerting heavy pressure on the mediators, Egypt and Qatar, to instruct Hamas to immediately resume the search for Border Police (Yasam) fighter Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last fallen captive still remaining in the Gaza Strip. This comes after the search for him was effectively halted two weeks ago. This was reported this Saturday evening on Kan News.

Kan News also reported that the Americans understand the Israeli position, which was conveyed on Friday to representatives of the mediators during a meeting held by Trump’s adviser Witkoff in Miami with senior officials from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.

The Americans relayed to Israel a message from the mediators stating that “the searches were halted over the past two weeks due to weather conditions,” and that Hamas is preparing to resume the searches in the coming days.

At the same time, in Washington there is pressure on Israel to move forward to the next stage of the Trump framework, but senior Israeli officials are conditioning this on the return of Gvili. Israeli sources told Kan News that there is a “stalemate” in the situation on the ground and that there is no intention of advancing to the next stages until Gvili is returned.

Witkoff after the Miami talk summarized the next steps to be done in activating the Peace Plan in Gaza

Meanwhile, a senior American official told Al Jazeera that a new round of talks regarding Gaza will take place today in Miami. Witkoff summarized the talks held on Friday on his 𝕏 account: "We, the representatives of the United States of America, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Qatar, and the Republic of Türkiye, met yesterday in Miami to review the implementation of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and to advance preparations for the second phase."

He wrote, "The first phase has yielded progress, including expanded humanitarian assistance, the return of hostage bodies, partial force withdrawals, and a reduction in hostilities. In our discussions regarding phase two, we emphasized enabling a governing body in Gaza under a unified Gazan authority to protect civilians and maintain public order.

"We also discussed regional integration measures, including trade facilitation, infrastructure development, and cooperation on energy, water, and other shared resources, as essential to Gaza’s recovery, regional stability, and long-term prosperity. In this context, we expressed our support for the near-term establishment and operationalization of the Board of Peace as a transitional administration for the civilian, security, and reconstruction tracks of the reconstruction."

Witkoff added, "We reviewed next steps in the phased implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, underscoring the importance of sequencing, coordination, and effective monitoring in partnership with local Gazan institutions and international partners. We reaffirm our full commitment to the entirety of the President’s 20-point peace plan and call on all parties to uphold their obligations, exercise restraint, and cooperate with monitoring arrangements. Further consultations will continue in the coming weeks to advance the implementation of phase two."