JERUSALEM/CAIRO/GAZA/PARIS/RAMALLAH - An Israeli delegation travelled to Cairo on Wednesday for talks with mediators on implementing the ceasefire with Hamas, with a focus on securing the return of the body of the last Israeli hostage believed to be held in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.
"The meetings focused on efforts and operational details to secure the return of the body of the slain hostage, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili," the statement said.
The delegation was led by Gal Hirsch, Israel's coordinator for hostages and missing persons, and included representatives from the military, the Shin Bet domestic security agency, and the Mossad intelligence service.
Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct 10, Hamas has released all 20 living captives and returned 27 bodies. Gvili, an officer with the Yasam special riot-control unit of the Israel Police, is the only body Israel says remains in Gaza.
Hamas and the allied Palestinian Islamic Jihad group have said they have been unable to locate Gvili's body despite searches at multiple sites in eastern Gaza.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israel has released around 2,000 Palestinians from its prisons and returned the bodies of hundreds of deceased Palestinians.
Israel's state-owned Kan broadcaster, citing US officials, reported that a US-backed peace plan is expected to move to a second phase in January, which would include a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the establishment of an interim governing authority, and the deployment of an international stabilization force.
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Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Wednesday that Egypt is pushing for the swift implementation of the second phase of the US-backed plan, including the formation of an interim Palestinian governing body.
In a phone call with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos, Abdelatty underscored the need for a "technocratic committee" to manage the enclave as a precursor to the Palestinian Authority resuming full administrative control. He also condemned continued Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, which he warned undermines the "unity of Palestinian territories".
Israeli soldier injured in Gaza
The Israeli military said an officer was lightly injured on Wednesday in an explosive device attack in Gaza, which Netanyahu said was carried out by Hamas.
The Israeli military said "an explosive device was detonated against an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) vehicle during operational activity aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure in the area of Rafah," adding that the injured officer had been evacuated to hospital. It did not specify which group it believed was responsible.
Later in the day, Netanyahu blamed the attack on Hamas, saying that the attack, along with Hamas' "ongoing and continuing public refusal to disarm", constituted a "flagrant violation" of the ceasefire.
Hamas denied involvement in the explosion. The group said un a statement that the blast occurred in an area "fully controlled" by Israeli forces and where no Palestinians were present, and that it had warned of unexploded ordnance in the area and elsewhere, denying responsibility for such remnants since the ceasefire took effect, particularly those it said were left by Israeli forces.
Hamas called on Israel to abide by the ceasefire agreement and avoid actions it said could escalate tensions or undermine the truce. The group reiterated its commitment to the deal and related obligations.
Israel's West Bank settlement plan condemned
Also on Wednesday, a group of 14 countries issued a joint statement, strongly condemning Israel's decision to establish 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning that such moves violate the international law.
On Sunday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a pro-settler politician, said Israel's security cabinet had approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the West Bank, bringing the number of settlements legalized or approved over the past three years to 69.
The joint statement was co-signed by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom, according to French foreign ministry.
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"We recall that such unilateral actions, as part of a wider intensification of the settlement policies in the West Bank, not only violate international law but also risk fueling instability," the statement said.
The group emphasized that the expansion of settlements risks undermining the implementation of the Gaza peace plan amid efforts to progress to second phase and harming prospects for long-term peace and security across the region.
Palestinian reform plan
Separately, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced a broad reform program intended to modernize governance and prepare for statehood, a move quickly dismissed by Hamas as a "unilateral" decision lacking national consensus.
According to the official WAFA news agency, the plan seeks to reinforce the rule of law, improve transparency, and ensure a separation of powers to bolster public confidence in the Palestinian Authority.
Proposed measures include a review of legislation governing political and economic life, with a specific focus on financial oversight, the judiciary, and anti-corruption safeguards. The reforms also aim to grant oversight bodies greater independence.
The agenda outlines a transition from the Palestinian Authority to a fully independent state, including updates to election laws and the drafting of a new law on political parties.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said constitutional reform requires broad dialogue rather than "unilateral decisions", warning the reforms may be driven by external pressure and concerned that curriculum changes could reflect Israeli or European demands.
