President Donald Trump on Monday said Iran-backed Hamas assisted in the recovery of the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Gaza Strip, then called for the terrorists to disarm "like they promised."
"They worked very hard to get the body back," Trump told Axios, referring to Ran Gvili, a police officer killed while fighting to repel Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
During the raid, Hamas took 251 people into Gaza, most of whom were alive.
Gvili was killed amid the massacre, and his body was taken to Gaza, where his remains were held until they were recovered and returned to Israel.
"They were working with Israel on it," Trump said.
"You can imagine how hard it was. Now we have to disarm Hamas like they promised."
Although the second phase of the Gaza peace plan brokered by the Trump administration called for Hamas to disarm, the terror group has not explicitly promised to do so, and its public rhetoric largely reflects reluctance or conditional openness rather than a firm commitment.
Despite skepticism that Hamas would peacefully disarm, Trump told Axios there also was doubt that every hostage, living or dead, would be returned under the peace plan's first phase.
"Nobody believed we would bring back all the hostages. It was a great moment," Trump said, adding that only the parents and other Israelis understand how important it is that all the remains were returned.
Trump said he was briefed Monday morning by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, about Gvili's recovery.
He said he then spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who "was thrilled."
Trump met Gvili's parents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida last month when they joined his meeting with Netanyahu.
"Please tell the parents I am very happy," Trump told Axios.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.