The Media Line: Family of Last Israeli Hostage in Gaza Urges Halt on Phase 2 of Cease-Fire; Qatar Rejects Delays 

Family of Last Israeli Hostage in Gaza Urges Halt on Phase 2 of Cease-Fire; Qatar Rejects Delays  

By The Media Line Staff  

As the family of the last remaining deceased Israeli hostage in Gaza urges a halt to the second phase of US President Trump’s 20-point postwar plan for Gaza, Qatar insists the process must continue.   

Itzik Gvili, father of deceased captive St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili, at a rally for hostage families in Tel Aviv, declared that there should be no further progress on the Trump plan until his son’s remains are returned to Israel.  

“Now the goal is to bring our Ran home,” Gvili said, adding that he “appeals to the mediators to clarify that there is no next stage and no ‘day after’ in Gaza before Ran is home.”  

“Hamas says it is searching, but there is no progress. They are playing and mocking us, and this must stop now,” he added.  

In addition to Ran Gvili, the body of Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak is also held in Gaza.  

However, Majed al-Ansari, the spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, said in a weekend Al-Araby Al-Jadeed podcast that Doha views the matter as an urgent humanitarian issue but not one that should freeze the broader agreement. “We don’t believe Israel should be allowed to obstruct the implementation of the agreement over these two bodies,” he said, adding that Palestinian factions were attempting to locate the remains “and preempt any Israeli pretexts.”  

His remarks drew a sharp response from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which said the mediators must prioritize the return of every captive, living or deceased, before advancing to political arrangements. “We remind the mediators, primarily Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, that the return of the hostages is the core of this agreement,” the group said, arguing that pressure should be aimed squarely at Hamas, “the terrorist organization that has failed to meet its commitments under the agreement.”  

The initial stage of President Trump’s 20-point plan, which took effect on Sept. 29, centers on the release of hostages and the recovery of bodies. Later steps, which still lack final consensus, would require Hamas to disarm while a transitional administration and international peacekeeping force take hold in Gaza, coupled with phased Israeli withdrawals.  

Ansari noted that Qatar is working with regional partners to move the process forward. “The current endeavor for Qatar and its partners in the region is to move from the first phase to the second,” he said, emphasizing the need for a prolonged truce that might eventually open the door to a political settlement supported by the United States.