Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old affectionately known as Rani, was a volunteer with the Israeli Police Special Patrol Unit and lived in Meitar
On October 7, 2023, even with a broken shoulder just ten days prior and awaiting surgery, he decided not to stand idly by.
He told his family he wouldn’t leave his friends to fight alone and that, even wounded, he could still hold a pistol.
He put on his uniform, went to the barracks in Beersheba, and joined the forces towards Kibbutz Alumim, near the Gaza border.
On that tragic morning, during the Hamas attacks, Ran demonstrated impressive courage.
He rescued about one hundred people fleeing the Nova festival, killed 14 terrorists, and continued fighting even after being shot in the arm and leg.
He remained in his position, relayed important information about the enemy over the radio, and only stopped when he succumbed to his injuries.
His body was then taken to the Gaza Strip by the terrorists.
More than two years later, on January 26, 2026, the Israel Defense Forces managed to recover his remains during an operation called “Braveheart,” concentrated in a cemetery in northern Gaza.
Based on precise intelligence, soldiers meticulously searched the area until they located him.
The identification was made at the National Center for Forensic Medicine, in conjunction with the Israeli Police and the Military Rabbinate.
Soon after, army representatives communicated the sad news to the family.
With Ran’s return, all the hostages taken on October 7-a total of 251 people-were brought back to Israel: some alive, released in truce agreements, and the others, who died, recovered by Israeli forces or returned in negotiations.
For the first time since 2014, there are no more Israeli hostages in Gaza.
“Hatikva”- the hope
? LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) January 26, 2026
IDF commanders pay their respect to the last hostage found in Gaza, Israeli hero Ran Gvili z”l
All for one. Leave no man behind! pic.twitter.com/XRuuNO38fp
Defense Minister Israel Katz described the moment as a painful but necessary closure, and praised Ran as a courageous fighter driven by a strong sense of duty and responsibility to the country.
The Israeli Police Commissioner spoke personally with Ran’s father, Itzik, highlighting his son’s determination and self-sacrifice, who protected civilians with his own body.
Ran’s father recalled his son’s determined look that morning, as if he had waited his whole life for that moment to defend others.
An honor guard from the Israeli Police escorted the coffin to the forensic institute in Tel Aviv, preparing for the dignified burial that the family and the country had so longed for.
The Israeli Army stated that it will continue to support the families and work to ensure the safety of all citizens, thus closing one of the most difficult and painful chapters in recent history.
Published in 01/27/2026 00h16
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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