Friends and relatives of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage still unaccounted for in Gaza, gathered Saturday in the southern town of Meiter, where emotional testimonies underscored growing pressure on the government not to advance to the next phase of the ceasefire deal until his fate is known.
Sgt. Maj. Idan Avrahami, a close friend of Gvili’s from the police special operations Yasam unit, met privately with Gvili’s parents before a rally calling for his return. Joined by fellow officers Yakir Talker and Yaron Yakubov, Avrahami described Gvili as a fighter who “stayed last — that’s Ran,” and said he had shown “extraordinary courage” on Oct. 7.
Avrahami said that during a recent visit to the spot where Gvili was abducted, he realized for the first time that Gvili had voluntarily moved to the front line. “He could have fled,” Avrahami said. “Instead, after they were fired on, he pushed himself forward. He kept sending updates on his phone and returned to that position so he could control the situation. We don’t know what happened afterward, but we know that until his last breath, everything he did was to save others.”
Gvili's parents, Talik and Itzik, said they fear Israel and the United States will proceed to the next stage of the ceasefire arrangement in Gaza before their son is recovered. Israel has insisted that all bodies of fallen hostages be returned before the transition; Washington has pressed for movement even if Gvili is not yet found.
“Seventy-two hours turned into two months,” Talik said. “We cannot move to Stage B until Ran is home. They tell us Hamas and Islamic Jihad are making some effort to find him — apparently not enough. Everything now is on Ran’s shoulders.”
Itzik added: “People must remember who Ran is. He is the last one. There is no one else. We cannot continue to the next phases until he returns. Don’t let anyone say in a week or two, ‘Well, there’s one guy left in Gaza, that’s it.’”
The family urged the public to keep up pressure. “If the people don’t forget, decision-makers won’t forget,” Talik said. “We don’t want to become the next Shaul or Goldin family,” referencing two IDF soldiers whose remains were held in Gaza for over a decade until they were recovered over the war. “Ran went out to save the country. The country must save him.”
Friends described Gvili as someone who always pushed himself into danger for others. “Anyone who knows Ran knows it makes sense he would be first in and last out,” Yakubov and Talker said. “He had a huge heart and leaves a huge void. We often ask ourselves what Ran would do. He’s always with us.”
The family’s plea comes as Israeli and U.S. officials continue to negotiate over the sequencing of the ceasefire plan, with Israel warning that moving ahead before Gvili is located could eliminate any remaining leverage to bring him home.