Israel Detains Islamic Jihad Terrorist Linked To Abduction Of Ran Gvili Hy’d, Last Israeli Hostage

Israeli covert forces operating on the Hamas-controlled side of the Gaza ceasefire line detained an Islamic Jihad operative connected to the abduction of Ran Gvili Hy’d, the final Israeli hostage held by terrorists in Gaza, according to a report published Sunday.

The Saudi-owned outlet Asharq al-Awsat reported that the suspect is a member of the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, and was active in the eastern Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, an area divided by the ceasefire line. According to the report, he was detained roughly one kilometer west of the ceasefire line, inside the Hamas-held portion of Gaza.

The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the report, the terrorist’s name appeared in a document Israel provided to mediators in Cairo last month, which listed individuals believed to have been involved in the abduction and concealment of Gvili after he was murdered. The report did not clarify the exact role the operative allegedly played.

Israeli officials quoted by Hebrew media have accused Islamic Jihad of holding on to Gvili after his murder, while also faulting Hamas terrorists for failing to pressure the group to turn over his body.

Earlier this month, Islamic Jihad claimed it had returned all hostages in its possession, a statement Israel rejected.

Sources within Islamic Jihad cited by Asharq al-Awsat claimed the group moved Gvili between several locations in Gaza City before transferring him early in the war to Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades.

Hamas sources quoted by the outlet acknowledged that Hamas held Gvili for a prolonged period but denied that the group currently possesses him. They claimed that ongoing Israeli military operations in the area where he was last held have complicated efforts to locate him.