Talik Gvili, whose son Ran was the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza, wrote in a Facebook post shortly after the announcement: “The first to go out, the last to return. Our hero.”
Earlier, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir spoke by phone with Ran’s parents, Talik and Itzik Gvili. “We kept our promise that no one is left behind,” Zamir told them. “IDF soldiers, the fighters at the front and the entire nation are deeply moved by Ran’s return to a Jewish burial. The news is painful, but it also brings great relief. I am glad we were able to close this circle, and I send my condolences and a very large embrace.”
“After two and a half years, it really is a relief,” Talik replied. “Please tell all the teams they are world champions. Ran is proud of you.”
Her husband, Itzik, added: “There is no one like you.”
With Gvili’s return, all Israeli hostages have now been recovered from the Gaza Strip. For the first time since 2014, no Israeli captives remain there.
Ran Gvili was returned to Israel 843 days after he was abducted during the October 7 massacre. He was identified at the Abu Kabir forensic institute.
According to the IDF, Sergeant First Class Ran Gvili, a special forces police officer, was killed in combat on the morning of October 7, 2023, at the age of 24, and his body was taken to Gaza. The military said it would continue to accompany the families and act to strengthen the security of Israeli citizens.