Hundreds of graves are being exhumed in a Gaza City cemetery as army acts on long-held intelligence.
By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News
The IDF began Operation Brave Heart over the weekend to locate the remains of Ran Gvili in a Gaza City cemetery, acting on intelligence it says has been in its possession for months.
The cemetery is located between the Shejaiya and Daraj Tuffah neighborhoods, just beyond the Yellow Line in an area of the Strip under Israeli control.
Troops from the Alexandroni Brigade, accompanied by combat engineers, medical staff and rabbinical officials, have exhumed more than 200 graves so far, with hundreds more still to be examined.
A dentist equipped with a portable X-ray machine is assisting the effort, as dental records provide the fastest means of identification.
Mental health officers have also been deployed to support soldiers tasked with examining the remains.
The IDF said Sunday that it had informed Hamas through mediators of the suspected burial site “some time ago,” but that “We did not recognize that Hamas had been searching with excessive zeal to locate him in recent weeks.”
According to the army, Hamas both delayed its search and looked in an entirely different neighborhood.
Only after Israel notified mediators that it would begin Operation Brave Heart did Hamas announce the search Sunday night, saying it was based on credible information it had received “and passed on without delay.”
The IDF dismissed the statement as an attempt by Hamas to take credit for actions it had previously declined to carry out.
In several cases following the October ceasefire, Hamas “discovered” the bodies of hostages after receiving precise intelligence from Israel, a move that critics said allowed the group to score public-relations points.
Ynet cited an IDF source as saying that the political leadership had until now restrained the military from launching the cemetery search in order to give Hamas a chance to locate Gvili on its own, as had occurred in those previous instances.
The army said it has made several attempts — some covert — to locate Gvili, stressing its determination to bring home the last hostage remaining in Gaza.
“We hope this long-standing intelligence proves accurate,” the IDF said. “If not, we will exhaust it and pursue other leads.”
Gvili’s aunt, Dr. Tami Zioni, thanked all those involved in the search, some of whom have reached out to the family, she said.
“We constantly receive private messages from soldiers in the field, who say how proud they are to participate in Operation Brave Heart and are doing everything possible to achieve the goal,” she said.
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