Shira Gvili, the sister of Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage still held in Gaza, set out about a week ago on an intensive diplomatic campaign in the United States — alone, without other families and without an official delegation.
“We are the last family left in this struggle,” she said painfully. “My parents stayed in Israel to handle everything there, and I am here.”
Over the past week, Shira has spoken at the White House, addressed members of Congress, visited the Israeli Embassy in Washington and the consulate in Manhattan, and delivered remarks at the United Nations.
“I’m not used to speaking English, certainly not giving speeches, and definitely not when it’s filmed and broadcast to the whole world,” she admitted. “But everything is insignificant when it comes to Rani, when I need to bring back the person closest to me. I went everywhere I could to amplify how important it is that he comes home. Rani is a symbol of heroism. We need him with us. He is our pride, not Hamas’.”
Her journey is taking place during Hanukkah. “This holiday has special meaning for me. I believe in miracles. It’s also one of my favorite holidays because it brings everyone together,” she said. “My personal miracle will be Rani’s return. The greater miracle will be Rani returning alive.”
Alongside the faith, there is also deep exhaustion. “It’s until the last hostage, including the last hostage,” she stressed. “And that includes Rani. He also has to come back. We no longer have the strength to fight, to struggle, to beg. But we have no choice.” Asked whether she feels alone, her answer was blunt: “I don’t feel alone. I feel last.”
At just 24, the personal cost of the fight is present in every word. “Girls my age are supposed to be working on degrees, getting engaged, or just enjoying life,” she said. “I have nothing. Mostly, I don’t have my brother here. You reach zero strength in this fight, and then you go into the negative. My life has stopped, and I can’t move forward.” She emphasized that her trip is far from a vacation. “This is work. A vacation for me would be letting go and being at the beach, not speaking at the UN or the White House,” she said.
Still, amid the weariness, she clings to a sense of mission. “I feel that I gave voice to Ran in the most important places, with those who can help. I pray he returns before Hanukkah ends, that he comes back even before I return to Israel. We need this closure. In Israel there is a feeling that everything is over, but that’s not true — Rani is still there.”
Ran’s uncle, David Tzioni, said earlier in an interview with ynet: “We are tired, exhausted, but we don’t have the privilege of stopping for even a moment.” Against the backdrop of reports about American plans for Gaza, he added: “The greatest fear is that economic considerations will outweigh the world’s desire or motivation to bring Ran back to us. The question is how much is Ran’s return worth? I hope they won’t build some tower over him there. It’s frightening.”
He noted that Ran’s parents, Itzik and Talik Gvili, will join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his trip to Washington in the coming days. “They will join a meeting with Trump together. The goal is to bring in a personal dimension, not just a security or economic one. The personal is what matters. Overall, Trump seems to act from the gut, he’s emotional, so maybe that will influence his decision,” he said.
On Saturday night, a rally calling for Ran Gvili’s return was held in the town of Meitar in southern Israel. Among those who attended were his mother Talik, as well as Tzvika Mor and Iris Haim. Addressing the crowd, Talik said: “Thank you to everyone who came, you are our strength. Even the head of Military Intelligence told us to amplify his name as much as possible and keep mentioning it, in the hope that next week we won’t have to stand here and there will be miracles.”