“We got closure. Rani is home, and we are the proudest family in the world,” his mother, Talik Gvili, said. “I want to thank everyone who stood with us over the past two years. We are proud to reach this moment, especially knowing that the people who brought Rani out of that cursed place were Israel’s security forces.”
She thanked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, U.S. President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as the Israel Police. “I hope we succeed in getting through this difficult period and that we win,” she said.
“Pride is much stronger than sorrow,” Talik added. “We are a living and strong people. We want to thank everyone, all those who helped, supported and gave us strength. Rani came home. A hero of Israel. We are the proudest family in the world.”
Ran’s brother, Omri, said the family’s pride outweighs its grief. “I think our pride is much stronger than the sorrow,” he said. “From the very beginning of this cursed day, I received a gift: to be the brother of a hero of Israel who did the unimaginable. I thank all the forces who made every effort. Pride fills us, and because of that, the sadness is smaller.”
His sister, Shira Gvili, said she feels mixed emotions of grief and relief. “I want to thank the strong people of Israel who stood at the junctions and did not give up,” she said. “To the Tikva Forum and its headquarters, to everyone who was with us and did not give up, and to the families of the hostages, who are our family, and the hostages who were with us.”
“We appreciate you so much,” she added. “You are our anchor in this insane situation. You are with us for life and show how strong a people we are. The people of Israel live.”
Earlier, Shira said she feels “an overwhelming sense of release.” “I feel relief. I feel sadness. I am very sad that it ended this way, but it had to end at some point, and I am so happy he is coming home. Rani is on his way. Rani is coming.”
Earlier in the day, Itzik Gvili was seen kissing his son’s coffin at Nahal Oz. “You had every reason to stay home,” he said beside the coffin. “But you told me, ‘I won’t leave my friends to fight alone.’”
Ran Gvili went out to fight on October 7 despite being injured and suffering from a broken shoulder following a motorcycle accident, for which he was scheduled to undergo surgery. “The entire police force is with you, the entire army is with you, the entire nation is with you,” his father said. “I am proud of you, my son.”
His coffin was escorted by his fellow officers from the special police unit in which he served. Before the convoy departed, Itzik Gvili was filmed speaking with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, telling him that his son “always united people” and that “the nation must unite because of him.”
“I think Rani, in some way, united the people,” Gvili told Zamir. “United them through the situation, through the story. Everything that happened connected everyone. He was a magnet, just as he was a magnet to all his friends. Even when he was a Golani Brigade mortar sergeant, every Friday he stayed on base, he made sure we cooked for 50 or 60 soldiers. He always united people. The people of Israel need to unite.”
Police Commissioner Danny Levy said over Gvili’s coffin that the force had prepared for this painful moment, but hoped to see him return alive. “Rani is the DNA of our organization,” Levy said. “When he was wounded, he took his weapon and went out to fight. He did not wait for orders. He charged alone. Rani, we salute you, we honor you, and we apologize that we did not succeed in bringing you back alive.”
Police said family members, Southern District Commander Cmdr. Haim Bublil, Gvili’s fellow unit members, commanders and officers also gathered at Nahal Oz. His father was seen embracing volunteer forensic dentists from the police identification unit who assisted in identifying his son.
Sergeant First Class Ran Gvili, 24, from Meitar, was killed in combat while defending Kibbutz Alumim on October 7, 2023, saving dozens of Nova Festival Music goers, and his body was abducted to Gaza by Hamas terrorists. He was the last Israeli captive held in the Strip and was kept in captivity for 843 days.
With Gvili’s return, Israel announced that all Israeli hostages, living and deceased, have now been brought back from Gaza. For the first time since 2014, no Israeli captives remain there.
The IDF said in a statement: “After 843 days of fighting across all fronts, all living hostages and fallen captives have been returned from Gaza to Israel. On the morning of October 7, 2023, the IDF failed in its primary mission to protect Israel’s citizens. It rose, recovered, and acted with the moral obligation to bring the hostages home. This moment reflects more than two years of intense fighting and the promise between the IDF and the citizens of Israel: to leave no one behind.”