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Viral photo fuels anguish
A viral image circulating from Gaza shows a blindfolded man stripped to his underwear and restrained face down on a cot while in Israeli custody, and Israel has acknowledged the image is genuine but has not said who the man is or where he is being held.
The lack of identification has intensified the anguish of two Palestinian mothers who each believe the mistreated man in the photo is her own missing son, according to the report describing the image.
The Australian’s account says the photo depicts the detainee in Israeli custody and notes that Israel has acknowledged the image is genuine but has yet to say who the man is or where he is being held.
Al Jazeera similarly frames the same viral image as a source of desperation, saying two Palestinian mothers believe it shows their missing son while Israel has not revealed the man’s identity.
Hostage case and Gaza deal
In Israel, the family of hostage Ran Gvili has pressed for the return of his dead body, with the Israeli army’s chief of staff Eyal Zamir telling the Gvilis at Hostages' Square in Tel Aviv, "There is reason to be optimistic."
The Times of Israël says Ran Gvili’s mother Talik Gvili replied, "We are really counting on you," as she wore a T-shirt bearing her son’s image and a yellow ribbon stamped with the number 840.
The Prime Minister's Office announced that the Israeli army was conducting a large-scale operation to locate Ran's body in a cemetery in northern Gaza, according to the same account.
The article also describes friction over whether Israel will allow the Gaza deal to move to its second phase until Hamas fulfills its commitment to return all the hostages, and it says the Gvili family urged the government not to move forward until Ran has been returned.
Pressure, blame, and uncertainty
The Times of Israël reports that after the arrival of Trump emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the opening of the Rafah border crossing to Gaza, the Gvilis issued a public statement asking why pressure to advance the ceasefire agreement was directed at Israel rather than at Hamas.
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Talik Gvili is quoted lamenting, "Everyone understands, except Witkoff," and the article says she returned from a trip to Florida at the invitation of philanthropist Miriam Adelson.
The account adds that the family receives two to three calls per day from Gal Hirsch, the government official in charge of the hostage issue, and it says Talik Gvili is in contact with the Prime Minister who calls and answers questions.
In parallel, The Australian’s account of the viral Gaza prisoner photo says Israel has not yet said who the man is or where he is being held, leaving the mothers without answers even as the image is acknowledged as genuine.
