‘He refused to stand aside’: Israel buries Ran Gvili, last hostage from 7 October
PM attends first hostage funeral as final Gaza captive is laid to rest after 843 days
Israel has laid to rest Ran Gvili, the final hostage from the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, bringing to an end more than two years of uncertainty and national anguish.
Gvili, a police sergeant killed while fighting terrorists on the day of the massacre, was buried in his hometown of Meitar on Wednesday, 845 days after his death, following the recovery of his remains from Gaza earlier this week.
Hundreds of police officers and residents lined the streets of Meitar as the funeral procession passed. The service was attended by President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Police Commissioner Daniel Levy and Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef, alongside senior political and security figures. It was the first funeral of a 7 October hostage attended by the prime minister.
Credit: X / GPO
Gvili had been at home recovering from a shoulder injury when the attacks began. Despite this, he armed himself and travelled south to Kibbutz Alumim, where he fought Hamas gunmen before running out of ammunition and being killed in battle.
His body was recovered by IDF search teams from a cemetery in Gaza on Monday and identified by fingerprint analysis after more than 250 bodies were examined. With his return, no Israeli hostages remain in the Gaza Strip.
In his eulogy, Netanyahu said: “He refused to stand aside; he put on his uniform; he armed himself.
“He considered his injured shoulder meaningless because he believed with all his heart and strength that the security of the state rested on him and the shoulders of his comrades.
“He saved lives – many, many lives.”
The prime minister also announced that a new town, Renanim, would be established near Meitar in Gvili’s memory.
Addressing the family, President Herzog apologised on behalf of the nation, saying: “I’m sorry we were not there for him. I am sorry that, along with so many other families, you had to wait so many long, agonising days for the return of your loved one.”
He added: “Without hesitation and without asking, again and again, [Ran] said ‘Here I am’ and went into the line of fire to protect us.”
Family members delivered emotional tributes. Gvili’s brother, Omri, told mourners: “Today I can say that our lives can go on. I am so proud to be the one who grew up with you, raised you, and learned from you. “We shared a friendship and loved beyond anything, with incredible intensity.”
His sister, Shira, described the long wait for his return, saying: “When Mum came into my room two days after 7 October and said it would take time for him to return, I didn’t believe it would be 843 days – days in which pain and fear were an inseparable part of our daily lives.”
As the coffin was carried to burial, police officers saluted, and mourners stood in silence, marking the close of Israel’s hostage chapter from 7 October and the return of the last captive.
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