Talik Gvili, the mother of Ran Gvili, the last fallen hostage still held in Gaza after 810 days, announced Wednesday that she will join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to the United States, with the aim of ensuring that the next stage of the agreement with Hamas does not move forward until her son is returned.
“Rani is a hero of Israel,” the mother said. “He went out to fight on October 7, eliminated 14 terrorists and was abducted only after he ran out of ammunition. He was the first to go out, he fought to the last bullet, and he is the last hostage who has not yet been returned from Gaza.”
She said she is traveling to “strengthen the prime minister’s hand” ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, “to help him and to make sure there is no move to implement the next stage until Hamas fulfills its part and its commitments in this stage of the agreement, and above all its obligation to bring Rani home.”
In a direct appeal to Netanyahu, she said: “Mr. Prime Minister, I support you in your decision not to move to Phase II of the agreement before all commitments to us are fulfilled. The original agreement spoke of 48 hostages. We received 47. My Rani is the 48th hostage.”
According to Gvili, “It cannot be that the other side violates agreements and we move on as if nothing happened. There is an agreement. The agreement has the backing of the president of the United States. If we do not insist on the full implementation of the agreement, we could lose Rani forever.”
She stressed that “not all efforts to bring Rani back have been exhausted,” adding: “Hamas knows where he is. Its operatives, who are walking freely across the Strip, know exactly where Rani is. I will not accept a situation in which towers are built and Gaza is rehabilitated while my Rani is abandoned there.”
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Ran Gvili addresses President Donald Trump directly in an AI-generated video
(Photo: Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
Gvili also addressed President Trump directly: “We will forever be grateful for this incredible agreement that brought 47 hostages back to us, but we are not finished yet. My Rani must come home. I am waiting for him, the entire people of Israel are waiting for him. Anyone who wants to see a different future in the Middle East must fully uphold all of their commitments.”
'No end to the war as long as Rani does not return'
Earlier, in an interview with the ynet Studio, Ran’s cousin Hadas Silber referred to an artificial intelligence video released by the family in which Ran directly addresses Trump.
“Our family has been through enormous upheaval since October 7,” she said. “At first Rani was defined as a hostage. Four months after the war began, he was defined as a fallen hostage, and now he is also the last one still in captivity. It is unimaginable.”
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with US President Donald Trump while in the US
(Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)
She said, “There is a feeling, one that can be understood, that most of the fallen have returned and that the story is over. But we must bring back into public awareness that one fallen soldier has not returned. There is no real end to the war and no real closure as long as Rani does not come back.”
Speaking about the video, she added: “That is Rani. The AI does it beautifully. He was a modest and quiet guy, a brave and strong Yamam police officer, but he was also our cousin, the one who at events made everyone happy and made sure everyone was enjoying themselves. I live in that duality.”