“Bring Rani Home”: Parents of Israel’s Last Believed Gaza Hostage Wait More Than Two Years

The parents of what Israeli officials say is the final hostage held in Gaza have spent more than two years waiting for any sign of their son. They remember him as brave and selfless — "fighting to the last bullet" during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Now, the family says there is a broad expectation across Israel that his remains must be returned before the truce moves into a second phase in the Gaza Strip.

Family Pleas and Local Support

"From everyone we speak to, we're getting the promise that they won't move to the second phase until they bring Rani back," Talik Gvili, 55, told AFP at the family's home in Meitar, a small town in southern Israel east of Gaza. "We are really, really hoping that this is truly what will happen."

“He ran to help, to save people... He fought until the last bullet and then he was taken hostage,” said Talik. Itzik Gvili, 61, added: “They claim he didn't receive any treatment but we still have a tiny, tiny glimmer of hope.”

What Happened

Ran (Rani) Gvili, 24, was an officer in Israel's Yasam elite police unit. In October 2023 he was on medical leave awaiting a shoulder operation; when the attacks began he armed himself and rushed to help. He was shot during fighting at the entrance to the Alumim kibbutz and subsequently taken into Gaza.

Israeli authorities informed the family in January 2024 that he had not survived his injuries, but the couple struggle to accept that conclusion and continue to hold out hope. Portraits of Gvili appear across the surrounding region — on posters, traffic circles and outside homes — beneath the words "Hero of Israel."

Ceasefire Terms and Next Steps

Under a US-sponsored ceasefire plan that took effect on October 10, 2023, Hamas agreed to return the 48 hostages it held at the time the deal began — 20 of whom were reported alive. To date militant groups have returned 47 of those hostages. Palestinian militants had seized 251 people during the October 7 assaults overall.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he expects the second stage of the truce to begin soon. The agreement specifies that the next phase should only start after all living hostages are returned and the remains of those killed are handed over. That second phase would include steps such as disarming Hamas, a further withdrawal of Israeli forces as a transitional authority is established in Gaza, and the deployment of an international stabilization force.

The Family's Burden

Soldiers and police who were present on October 7 described Ran fighting near the entrance to Alumim before being shot and wounded. "In a way, it fits him, to be the one to stay behind. So in a way, it helps us to accept this situation — but mainly because we have no choice. We didn't choose to be the last ones," Talik said. "But someone has to be the last, and it ended up being our family."

The Gvili family’s hopes are entwined with national politics and the pace of the truce process. Their plea — to recover their son, and to see the full terms of the ceasefire honored — resonates with many Israelis who want closure for families of the victims of October 7.

Reporting by AFP. m ib/crb/raz/acc/dcp