Remains of last hostage in Gaza returned to Israel

Hamas has returned the remains of the final hostage in Gaza to Israel, the Israel Defense Forces and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum headquarters said Monday.

The return of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, who was killed when he was 24, marks the first time since 2014 that no hostages are being held in Gaza, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a volunteer group. The IDF said that Gvili served in the Israeli Police Special Forces and was on medical leave when Hamas launched its attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but joined his unit to fight. He was shot in the leg and died in combat before his body was abducted to Gaza, the IDF said.

“Ran, with his broad shoulders and radiant smile, was all heart,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in its statement. “A true friend, loved by everyone. He loved life, was a young man of deep values, always spoke at eye level, and carried a powerful yet calm presence. At 24 years old at the time of his death, Ran is survived by his parents, Talik and Itzik, his brother Omri, his sister Shira, and an extended family.”

The return of Gvili’s remains marks a significant step in the saga that began when Hamas launched its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people, including almost 50 Americans, and taking more than 250 hostage, including a dozen Americans. The last 20 living hostages were released in October as part of a peace deal negotiated by the U.S. that also required Israel to release about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel launched a war on Gaza in response to the attack, killing more than 70,000 people as of November, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Experts and international bodies, including Amnesty International and the International Association of Genocide Scholars, have alleged that Israel’s actions amounted to a genocide, a claim the country’s leaders have denied.

In an address to the Israeli Parliament on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Gvili “a hero of Israel.” Netanyahu also thanked American officials — President Donald Trump, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who helped negotiate the peace plan — for what he called “their great and vital support.”

“Just recovered the last Hostage body in GAZA,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Monday morning. “Thus, got back ALL 20 of the living Hostages, and ALL of the Dead! AMAZING JOB! Most thought of it as an impossible thing to do. Congratulations to my great team of Champions!!!”

Kushner said Monday on X, “The successful recovery of Police Officer Ran Gvili’s body in Gaza closes one of the darkest chapters of the Middle East conflict.”

The release of the remains of the final hostage was the last barrier to the implementation of the second phase of the peace plan, which includes the opening of the Rafah crossing, a critical corridor for getting aid into Gaza. Israel had agreed to a limited reopening of the crossing for pedestrians only until the final hostage was received, and the country’s leaders said it would reopen it fully once Gvili’s body was returned.