The remains of the final Gaza hostage, Staff-Sergeant-Major Ran Gvili, were recovered by the IDF on Sunday and will be returned to Israel, the IDF announced on Monday, bringing closure to his family after more than two years of captivity.
Gvili was killed in battle fighting infiltrating Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, after saving the lives of partygoers fleeing the Nova music festival in Re’im and defending Kibbutz Alumim from Hamas terrorists.
Despite still recovering from a broken shoulder sustained in a motorcycle accident, Gvili didn’t hesitate to put on his uniform and head to the Gaza border communities in southern Israel that morning. Gvili and his comrades initially fought at Kibbutz Alumim before heading to the Sa’ad Junction, where they rescued survivors at the festival.
After evacuating survivors of the Nova massacre to safety, Gvili and his comrades returned to Alumim to continue the fight against the dozens of terrorists who attempted to conquer the kibbutz. Wounded and surrounded, Gvili was overpowered by Hamas terrorists and was subsequently murdered.
When he was reported missing after the massacre, his family launched the “Bring Ran Home” campaign, calling for his safe return.
Killed on October 7 and abducted to Gaza
For months, they held out hope that he was alive. However, on January 31, 2024, authorities confirmed that he had been killed on October 7 and that his body had been abducted to Gaza.
Since then, the Gvili family has been working for the release of his body for proper burial in Israel.
Born in Meitar, a town in southern Israel, Ran was the son of Talik and Itzik Gvili, and the younger brother of Omri and Shira Gvili. From a young age, he showed a deep sense of empathy and a caring nature.
When classmates chose to attend the Bar Mitzvah of a popular student instead of that of a classmate with disabilities, Ran “organized all the boys to come to the second party,” his parents recalled in an interview with Israel Hayom.
At 18, he enlisted in the IDF's Golani Brigade. Though he sustained an injury during basic training, he refused to give up. He quickly recovered and went on to serve as a fighter and a company commander, his parents told Israel Hayom.
In 2021, Gvili joined the Israel Police's Special Patrol Unit, where he rose to the rank of St.-Sgt.-Maj.
At his memorial service, his loved ones remembered him as a hero guided by courage.
“Protecting me was your life’s mission. And you succeeded. I promise you that I will live a happy and joyful life, and I will fulfill all my dreams - yours, father’s, and mother’s. Take care of us all from above,” his sister Shira eulogized at the time.