It’s been 27 months and nineteen days since the horrific Hamas attack on Israel, which left almost 1,200 dead, including 36 children. The barbarity and cruelty of the assault left the civilized world dazed.
After more than two years of Israeli attacks against the terrorists in Gaza, torturous peace negotiations, and endless treachery by Hamas, the remains of the last hostage have finally been returned to Israel.
His name was Ran Gvili, and he was a police officer who responded — and was unfortunately killed — as the Hamas surprise attack unfolded.
‼️ BREAKING ‼️ The body of Ran Gvili, the last hostage in Gaza, has been identified and recovered.
All the hostages have now been brought home 🎗️ pic.twitter.com/RGnS80AYkP
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) January 26, 2026
He was recovered after a massive effort in what must have been a very troubling operation for those conducting it:
Police officer Ran Gvili’s body was located and identified following a “large-scale operation” in a cemetery in northern Gaza over the weekend, according to Israel’s Defense Force.
The operation involved exhuming and testing some 250 bodies from a cemetery in Gaza after Hamas revealed that he may have been buried there.
President Trump, who has led negotiations that produced a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, honored the fallen officer and noted that he was the last remaining one:
“Just recovered the last Hostage body in GAZA. 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!!!” – PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/2OhDhEGRcE
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 26, 2026
WE MUST NOT FORGET: Horrific: October 7 Hostage Recounts Multiple Instances of Sexual Assault by Hamas
Retribution: IDF Takes Out Top Hamas Weapons Chief Who Helped Plan Oct. 7 Savagery
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Gvili a hero, and noted that he had promised to get every last hostage back:
BREAKING:
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu: “Our task is complete. Finding Gvili’s body was an unprecedented achievement, and as I promised you, we brought everyone back.”
“Rani is a hero of Israel. He went in first, he came out last. He came back,” says Netanyahu.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 26, 2026
“Rani is a hero of Israel,” Netanyahu said. “He went in first, he came out last.”
The 24-year-old, who was a member of the Israeli Police Special Forces, “fell in combat” at Kibbutz Alumim on the morning of the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks that triggered the more than two-year war.
Israeli teams started combing through the cemetery in search of Gvili’s remains after Hamas claimed it had done all required of it under the ceasefire agreement.
His body, which was identified via dental and fingerprint records, will now be returned to his family in the Jewish state for burial, officials said.
Defense Minister Israel Katz called the recovery a “painful moment of closure” for the Jewish state.
“The return of Ran for burial is a painful moment of closing the circle — with the return of the last hostage from the Gaza Strip territory to the soil of Israel,” Katz said in a statement.
Although this is welcome news for Israel and Gvili’s family, it cannot undo the pain and tragedy caused by the seemingly inhuman terrorists. Israel and the U.S. must continue to hold them to account and “remove them from the battlefield” when necessary.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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