Tali Gvili, mother of the late Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, addressed her selection to light a torch and said in an interview with the ynet studio that she is "very proud - this is thanks to Rani, for Rani, he deserves it." About the speech she will deliver, she said: "I don't know yet what I'll say, I speak from the heart, and when the time comes I'll know what to say." She also responded to the criticism surrounding the selection of hostage and missing persons coordinator Gal Hirsch to light a torch: "I was told I would light with Hirsch. A great honor, an amazing man. We need, especially during this period, to unite, to put aside all the grumbling."
First published: 09:53, 04.12.26