Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad know how to reach slain hostage Ran Gvili to return his remains to Israel, the Jewish state's delegation told mediators of the hostage and ceasefire deal while in Cairo, N12 reported late Friday.
The Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons, Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch left for Cairo on Wednesday, where talks are being held, to convey the message to Hamas to bring Gvili's remains to Israel as soon as possible. The delegation included officials from the IDF, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and the Mossad.
Gvili's sister, Shira, demanded at a rally at Tel Aviv's Hostages' Square on Friday, "not to proceed to Phase II until Rani is home.
"This is the first Shabbat that Rani has remained alone there," she added. "Compel Hamas to return Rani to the country he loved so much. Continue to stand with us, think of my Rani. 254 hostages have been returned from Gaza, and our Rani is still there."
What will happen in deal's second phase when Gvili's remains are returned?
The talks in the Egyptian capital also deal with the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal, which demands that Hamas step down from power in the Gaza Strip.
"The mediators are saying that Hamas is showing interest in upholding the hostage deal, and wants to move to the next phase, which includes disarmament and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip," the Friday N12 report added, citing an Israeli source.
The source also told N12 that "it's either they agree to disarm, or we will disarm them. We will not leave any threat to the State of Israel in Gaza."
Uri Sela contributed to this report.