The Israeli military announced on Monday, January 26th that the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza have been identified and returned to Israel for burial.
Sergeant First Class Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old non-commissioned officer in the elite Yassam unit of the Israeli police, was killed during Hamas’s October 7th, 2023 terror attack on Israel, before his body was taken to Gaza.
According to an army statement:
Following the completion of the identification process by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, representatives informed the family of Sergeant Gvili that their loved one has been identified and will be returned for burial.
With this development, all 251 hostages—both living and deceased, and taken during the Hamas pogrom—have now been returned to Israel. The process, which unfolded in multiple stages under a U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025, was described as complicated by officials on both sides.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the repatriation of Gvili “an extraordinary achievement for the State of Israel,” emphasizing that the government had fulfilled its promise to return every hostage.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described Gvili as “a true friend, loved by everyone,” adding that he was a young man of deep values, who carried a calm yet powerful presence.
