Israel’s last hostage of the Gaza war was buried on Wednesday, in a moment of closure for Israelis that many thought would never come.
Civilians and police officers holding flags lined the streets as a convoy carrying Ran Gvili’s body drove to his burial place in the town of Meitar, in southern Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog were among the senior officials in attendance at the funeral.
Mr Gvili, who was 24 when he died, was a police officer killed by Hamas in southern Israel during the October 7 attacks in 2023. It is the first funeral of a Gaza hostage that Mr Netanyahu has attended. He was repeatedly accused of ignoring them during the war.
Mr Gvili's body was returned to Israel on Monday, ending a 50-day period in which he was the only hostage to be held in Gaza. Hamas, which struck a ceasefire deal with Israel in October, said it struggled to locate and return his remains under the agreement.
Israeli troops eventually recovered his body in a cemetery in Gaza city on Sunday, after what they described as an intelligence breakthrough. Authorities had announced his death in January 2024.
The burial ends a painful chapter for Israelis. The taking of about 240 hostages, many of whom returned dead, is regarded as one of the most traumatic episodes in the country’s history. It also means that for the first time since 2014, no Israeli hostages are held in Gaza.
Mr Herzog said in his eulogy that Israel can “slowly begin” healing. “Through your path, and Ran’s path, we must rise from this terrible pain,” he told Mr Gvili’s family, who were sitting in the crowd.
Speaking after the president, Mr Netanyahu said: “We are determined to complete our mission disarming Hamas and demilitarising Gaza and we will succeed.
“Let our enemies know that whoever raises a hand against Israeli will pay an exorbitant price,” he said.
He also announced the creation of a village in honour of Mr Gvili.
Mr Gvili's sister, Shira Gvili said on Tuesday that until he was discovered, she "felt every minute, every split second in longing and anticipation for Ran".
"The world kept moving, but I wanted it to stop with us. And now he’s here, not as we wanted, hoped, and prayed, but he’s here. He and 86 other fallen hostages have been returned to Israel for burial, and he is the last."
Palestinian witnesses of the operation to retrieve Gvili’s body told The National that it was “strange and frightening”. The Israeli army provided few details of the search, known as Operation Courageous Heart, other than to say it drew on intelligence work and was carried out by reservists and medical teams.
The Israeli government had tied the search for Mr Gvili's remains to progress in implementing US President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan. It said it would open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt after Mr Gvili's return, but that has yet to happen.
