The IDF announced Monday that Gvili, the final fallen hostage held in Gaza, had been returned to Israel after 843 days in captivity and following his identification in a Palestinian mass grave in Gaza City. He will be laid to rest on Wednesday in his hometown of Meitar.
The convoy escorting the coffin across Israel
A convoy departed from Nahal Oz, with Gvili’s coffin accompanied by his fellow fighters from the special forces police unit, in which he served as a combat officer. The convoy proceeded to the Abu Kabir forensic institute, as many civilians gathered at the Nahal Oz junction to pay their respects.
Itzik Gvili embraced the forensic dentists who helped identify him at Nahal Oz
(Video: Israel Police)
Before the convoy set out, Gvili’s father, Itzik, was filmed speaking with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. “I think Rani, in some way, united the nation,” Itzik Gvili told him. “He united people through the situation and the story. Everything that happened connected everyone. He was a magnet, just as he was a magnet to all his friends.”
He recalled that even during his son’s earlier service as a Golani Brigade mortar sergeant, Gvili would ensure that dozens of soldiers were fed whenever he stayed on base over the weekend.
Gvili’s father was also seen embracing volunteer forensic dentists from the police identification unit who assisted in confirming his son’s identity.
U.S. President Donald Trump also commented publicly for the first time on Gvili’s return, writing on Truth Social that the last fallen captive had been located in Gaza and that all Israeli hostages, both living and deceased, had now been brought home.