The Times of Israel Daily Briefing Haviv Rettig Gur: Hamas is holding Gazans hostage
19 snips
Jan 31, 2026 
Haviv Rettig Gur, senior analyst on Israeli politics and security, provides sharp analysis of the Gaza conflict. He discusses the cultural duty to return the dead and the recovery of the final hostage. He examines why Hamas resists disarmament, the regional leverage on Hamas backers, and the political and practical hurdles to rebuilding Gaza.
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Burial As A Central Cultural Duty
- Jewish law and culture place the duty to bury the dead as a supreme moral obligation that unites secular and religious Israelis.
- Returning the hostages' bodies fulfilled a deep national and cultural debt and provided collective closure.
Long Operation To Recover Final Hostage
- The recovery operation for Ran Gvili took 40 hours and required on-site dentists and forensic work before DNA confirmation in Israel.
- Soldiers in Gaza spontaneously sang when they learned his body had been identified, showing the emotional weight of the return.
Disarmament Is The Reconstruction Prerequisite
- The ceasefire's first phase closed with the last body's return, but reconstruction hinges on disarming Hamas, which publicly refuses.
- International actors like the U.S., Qatar, Turkey, Saudi and the Emirates now shape Gaza's future but disagree sharply on conditions for rebuilding.