Ziv Tzioni, the uncle of fallen hostage Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, who remains held in Gaza, spoke Thursday about the ongoing efforts to recover the 13 slain hostages still in Hamas captivity.
“Efforts are underway to bring back the remaining 13, but we must remember who we’re dealing with. For Hamas, this is a game — part of their strategy to stall for time,” he said. “We have no idea what’s happening. We’re in constant contact with the defense establishment, but they don’t want to share the information they have. It’s incredible that nearly 40 hostages were returned in the past two weeks — truly astounding numbers.”
Tzioni said the family continues to hold on to hope. “It’s not 100% confirmed that Rani isn’t alive. We’re holding on to hope that he still is. The greatest fear is that we’ll never see him here in Israel again — that’s what terrifies us most. But we’re optimistic and believe that what’s meant to happen will happen. We understand the reality and see the whole picture.”
He said that early in the war, the family already knew where Ran had gone missing. “Fairly quickly, we knew the area — Zeitoun — and then the outpost he entered, which belonged to Islamic Jihad. I know that the site was searched about a year and a half ago and nothing was found. That’s the last concrete information we have about Ran’s location. Maybe there’s more they’re not telling us. From our side, we’re doing everything possible. Searches in that area have continued nonstop — though less now because of the cease-fire.”
Tzioni welcomed U.S. involvement in the hostage talks. “We appreciate it — the American presence is important. We’re just a pin on the globe, but clearly, there’s something strategic and much bigger here: diplomacy, economics, multiple American interests. There’s genuine intent to reach the end of this process, and it comes from a love of Israel. They’re Zionists, and we should be grateful this is the administration in power right now. I believe real efforts are being made to bring Ran and the others home for burial as soon as possible.”
In January 2024, the IDF confirmed that special forces officer Ran Gvili, 24, was killed in battle at Kibbutz Alumim on October 7 and that his body was taken to Gaza. His parents have continued to believe he may still be alive. “We’re not accepting the report that Ran is dead,” his mother, Talik, told Ynet last month. “We hope there was a mistake. The odds are against us, but we’re still holding on to hope he’ll come back.”
Other families of fallen hostages share the same uncertainty. At a rally in Be’eri calling for the return of the 13 fallen hostages, Yuval Or, father of fallen hostage Dror Or, said: “People ask how we’re doing. The truth is, we’re waiting to close the circle. Our whole family, the adults and children alike, feel it’s time to bring our Drori home for a proper burial in Be’eri, beside Yonat, his beloved. For us, it will take more time. Under the agreement, joint forces will have to locate Dror in a known but wide area.”
He added, “We’ve reached the stage where we just want closure. The whole family feels it’s time to bring Drori home for a proper burial beside his love, Yonat. The worst has already happened to us. Paradoxically, that brings some peace — there won’t be a happy ending, but we need that closure desperately.”