The coffin containing St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza, arrived in his Negev hometown of Meitar for burial on Wednesday afternoon after thousands of people had lined the roads of southern Israel as he was en route.
At the funeral, Talik, Rani’s mother, began the eulogies by speaking about her son. She started by expressing her gratitude to everyone involved in the effort to bring her son and the other hostages home.
"A little after he was kidnapped, they invited all the families of the hostages to a meeting in Ra’anana. It was a rainy day; the sun peeked out, and in the distance, a huge, immense, full cloud appeared. My father and I drove right into the rainbow that accompanied us until we entered it, and then it disappeared. I felt this was a sign from you."
"I just wanted to tell you, my beloved, that the hope you would return to us on two feet, or even one, is what kept me going," she continued. "Since that cursed day, every time a tear wells up, I remember you whispering to me: 'My proud mother.'" She added, "The first to leave, the last to return. Rani, I imagine you in the grandstand above with all those who risked their lives. I see all of you with a glass of arak, everyone is a hero."
"You became everyone's child, and you're known around the world. Over these two years, I heard eulogies for the fighters, and everyone mentioned you. A proud Golani soldier, a proud policeman who loved his country," his mother added.
"Many thanks to you. Despite our disagreements and opinions, we are one people. The hugs from all sides are immense. 700 soldiers searched for you and found you. This is unity. We are still on a mission to eliminate the terrorists."
"Rani was the 250th body, and Rani in gematria equals 250. You’re arranging everything for us from above," his father, Itzik, said in his eulogy. "Even the military plot at the cemetery was finished being renovated just a few days ago, in your honor. You are everyone’s child, and I’m so proud to be your father. I miss you every second, every minute. We miss you."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the family, saying that he and his wife had "embraced you in your pain, and today we embrace you along with the entire nation, as Ran, a hero of Israel, is brought for a Jewish burial."
"I will say this in the language of the Bible, on behalf of my wife Sara and myself: Our souls are bound with yours," he added.
"The closing of the grave of Ran Gvili seals the painful reality of the presence of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip. All of them, the living and the deceased, we have brought them all home from enemy territory."
He added that watching IDF soldiers in their mission to retrieve Gvili's body made his "heart tremble."
"If we did not believe, we would not have found. If we did not believe, we would not have acted. If we did not believe, we would not have found. If we had not found, the wounds would have remained open forever," he added. "But we believed, we acted, and we found Ran. In doing so, we achieved what we have yearned for throughout these 843 days: to bring all our brothers and sisters home."
He concluded that "whoever raises a hand against Israel will pay an unbearable price."
"To all those who think they can break us, I say: come to Meitar. To all those who think they will defeat us, listen to Tali Gvili, you will not defeat us. We will defeat and crush you," he concluded.
"The inspiring heroism of Ran Gvili will be a foundation stone in the defensive wall of our state forever. May his memory be a blessing."
President Isaac Herzog apologized to the family and the country for taking so long to bring Ran home.
“We stand here today at a sacred and heartbreaking moment, as our beloved hero, Rani, the last hostage, is finally laid to eternal rest in his homeland," he said. "At this moment, I ask, as President of the State of Israel, on behalf of the State of Israel, for your forgiveness. Forgiveness that we were not there for him; forgiveness that, together with so many other families, you were forced to wait for his return for so many long, agonizing days."
Herzog added that Ran's return should kickstart an inquiry into the October 7 massacre.
"In your memory and by your light, beloved Rani, and in the light of all the heroines and heroes who gave their lives in this difficult war, we are bound by a solemn duty: to look directly at the place of the wound; to investigate thoroughly, to examine deeply, to pursue the truth; to heal and to recover, and together build here a shared Israeli tomorrow, in your memory, dear and beloved Rani, and for us all," he concluded.
His older brother, Omri, remembered the deep friendship the two shared.
"My little brother, but so big. I’m so proud to have grown up with you, to have raised you, and to have grown from you. We shared a friendship and love that went beyond everything, with incredible intensity. We loved doing all the unique things that were ours."
"I remember the cursed day and our last conversation," Omri continued. "I tried to joke with you, and you calmly said: 'I'm in an encounter, I'll talk to you later. Let me finish.' And to this day, I’m still waiting for that call," he said, in pain. "Today, my hero brother came home. I want you to understand, the pride here isn’t just familial, it’s for all our people. And I wish everyone would be like Rani."
"Thousands of people came out, cheered, and rejoiced that you were finally brought back. When we were told they had found you, the date updated for me for the first time since that black Saturday," said Ran's sister-in-law, Sharon.
"I’m proud of you for who you are and the pride you bring to the whole family. Proud that you stood strong against the hell, eliminated terrorists, defended the homeland, and fought until the last second. I admit that I prayed for a different ending, but if I have to end life at 24, then only this way."
"Your heroic story will be told for generations," Sharon concluded. "I’m sure you’ll watch over us from above, the circle is closed. Rest in peace."
Ran's sister, Shira, said that she thinks of him every day.
"My best friend. I just can't believe you're here. When Mom told me after October 7th that it would take time for you to return, I didn’t think it would take 843 days. Rani, there's not a minute that I don't think about what would have happened if I had fought with you to stay home. I knew that morning it would be the last time I saw you."
"Rani, the schnitzel doesn’t taste the same to me anymore," she continued, tearfully. "All I have left are memories, and every memory feels like an arrow to the heart. Every motorcycle that passes brings me back two years. Who will call me Shirosh? Who will protect me from harm? In the last two years, I lost you, and then I lost myself. At the previous ceremony, I promised you that I chose life, and now look, I promise you, I chose life."
"When I flew to America, I had one goal – to bring you home," Shira continued.
"I did everything to bring you back. I spoke, I traveled, I talked, I fought. Now, let me remove the title of 'sister of a captive' and go back to being simply Rani's sister. I ask that you always appear in my dreams."
At the end of the eulogy, she played a recording of Ran, in which he told her that everything would be fine. She said that is how she will remember him.
Gvili, as a member of Yasam, an elite police unit, was at a hospital waiting to undergo surgery for a broken shoulder on the morning of October 7, 2023, when he learned of Hamas’s attack on southern Israel. He rushed home, put on his uniform, and joined other personnel heading to Kibbutz Alumim.
Gvili is credited with rescuing around 100 people who fled the nearby Nova Music Festival, and with killing 14 Hamas terrorists. The last word heard from Gvili was when he texted a friend saying he had been shot in the leg.
The military declared Gvili dead based on intelligence in January 2024.
Gvili’s remains were found in Gaza City cemetery
Gvili’s remains were found in a cemetery in Gaza City and brought back to Israel on Monday. According to military assessments, Palestinian Islamic Jihad likely buried Gvili with other terrorists, not realizing who he was.
Gvili, an avid guitarist, motorcyclist, and amateur carpenter, is survived by his parents, Itzik and Tali, and a brother and a sister.
Around 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.