As the vast protest movement pushing for the release of Israel's Gaza hostages winds down after almost two years, the name of one young man still haunts the country: Ran Gvili.
Mr Gvili's remains are the last of 28 to be located and handed over by Hamas under the ceasefire in Gaza, making the search for his body crucial to the delicate deal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accused by many Israelis of not prioritising the release of hostages, has called him a “hero of Israel” on several occasions this week. Mr Gvili’s mother, Talik, told Reuters on Monday that if her son’s body is not returned, Israel will not be able to heal.
“We’re happy everyone has returned, except for Ran … but somebody had to be last, and it looks like that was our fate,” she said.
The latest signs are that it might be some time until Mr Gvili's family has him back. The Israeli military official who led hostage negotiations after the October 7 attacks, Nitzan Alon, told Israeli outlet Ynet on Tuesday that Hamas “has an objective difficulty” in finding his remains.
It is a painful reality for Israel, which is so close to bringing back all 251 hostages, following October’s ceasefire deal, under which 20 living captives were released along with the remains of 27 deceased ones, in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian detainees.
It is also a potential roadblock to the start of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s internationally backed but uncertain plans to rebuild Gaza, which Mr Netanyahu promised this week are close to progressing. The next phase would start to tackle complex, longer-term issues in the conflict, such as reconstruction and Hamas disarmament.
Israel has accused Hamas of deliberately stalling the handover of remains, and has used mishaps in the process as excuses to resume bombing Gaza.
Speaking to Reuters, Mr Gvili's mother said her family would not let Israel move to the next phase of talks on Gaza’s future before her son’s body is returned.
Mr Gvili, an Israeli police officer, was 24 at the time of the attacks, and was hailed as a hero for joining the fight against the gunmen marauding through southern Israel on October 7, 2023, despite suffering from a broken collarbone at the time. He was seriously wounded near Kibbutz Alumim, where he was abducted and taken to Gaza. Israeli authorities confirmed his death in January 2024.
The US’s ambassador to the UN met Mr Gvili’s family on Monday during a trip to Israel.
“Ambassador Waltz expressed the US obligation, as well as his obligation, to complete the mission of returning the hostages and to returning Ran for a proper Jewish burial,” a statement from Israel’s Government Press Office said.
