Finally, finally! The remains of Ran Gvili, the last of Israel’s hostages held by Hamas, has been brought home after 843 days.
The story of how he was recovered is nothing short of amazing. About a month ago, an Islamic Jihad terrorist, who had been arrested and interrogated by the IDF, named four possible locations where Ran’s remains might be or might have been at one point.
The IDF had prior information indicating that Ran’s body – which was moved from place to place – might be in the al-Batesh Muslim cemetery in the north of Gaza. The fact that the terrorist identified this cemetery in addition to three other possible sites strengthened their conviction that this indeed might be where he was. When searches in other sites on the Israeli side of the yellow line proved to be futile, the IDF then focused on the cemetery.
Many forensic experts were involved, and 20 dentists were brought in. Rabbis were also present.
In all, some 250 bodies were exhumed, and various forensic tests were done on them. Towards the end of the search the dentists worked to match the teeth of remains to records of Ran’s teeth. And thus was he identified – with more forensic testing, which provided final confirmation of his identity, done at the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir when he was brought to Israel.
The IDF will be re-interring the 250 bodies at the cemetery in as dignified a manner as possible, out of respect for the dead.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-884594
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See a video of IDF soldiers singing “ani ma’amim,” I believe with a perfect faith… after Ran had been recovered.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DT-oMBsAupb/
This brought tears to my eyes. Is there another people like Am Yisrael, which behaves with such devotion and dignity?
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It is a point of pride in Israel, that no soldier will be left behind. With the return of Ran Gvili, for the first time since 2014 there are no hostages held by Hamas: For years, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who both wandered into Gaza in a confused state, and IDF soldiers Lt. Hadar Goldin and St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul, who fell in battle during Operation Protective Edge, were held by Hamas.
The nation responded emotionally to Ran’s return. Officials publicly removed the yellow hostage pins worn on their lapels: There is no one else to bring home.
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Ran was laid to rest in his hometown of Meitar, in the south of Israel, on Wednesday. Thousands attended the funeral including Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Yitzhak Herzog and members of the Knesset. Thousands more lined the streets to pay their respects as the funeral procession passed.
Ran was not only the last hostage to be brought home, he was also a hero – having fought terrorists with extraordinary bravery on October 7. His family spoke of pain mixed with great pride.
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And now we have reached “the day after.”
Over the course of the last two years and more, Netanyahu repeatedly declared that the war had two goals: to defeat Hamas and bring back the hostages.
It was perhaps inevitable that the demands of attempting to realize each of these goals would generate national tensions: Concern for the hostages made fighting the war more difficult. There was reluctance to hit certain areas where hostages might be held and frequently fear that the merciless terrorists would kill hostages if certain actions were taken. Trades were made with Hamas that allowed us to bring home some hostages at a cost of releasing terrorists with blood on their hands from our prisons.
I – as well as many others – never supported the position of bringing them back “at any cost,” which meant, in essence, stopping the war. The security of the entire nation – which faced threats of another October 7 style massacre – had to come first. Differences of opinion on this matter generated divisiveness in the nation.
But now, let us pray, we have moved past this tension: Our nation has experienced a catharsis of considerable dimensions, and a sense of pride at being true to our human values. Now, it is possible for our sole focus to be on defeating Hamas. When we return to fighting, as we must, we can hit harder because there are no longer hostages to protect.
This is not to suggest that that victory will be readily achieved. We have a long, hard road ahead of us. The “ceasefire” has given Hamas an opportunity to strengthen, while Hamas defenders Qatar and Turkey have been welcomed by Trump into his Board of Peace. Hamas, regrettably, has been re-imagined as a political entity with which to negotiate rather than a terrorist force to simply be taken down.
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I mention here just one very recent development that is emblematic of what we are facing:
Hamas is pushing for 10,000 of the members of its police force to be incorporated into the new police force for Gaza to be established under Trump’s peace plan.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1u11dc8i11e
This proposal is being advanced in anticipation of demands that Hamas disarm. The notion that 10,000 Hamas members would be handed arms as members of the police is farcical but is being discussed; Hamas is seeking support for this proposal from Qatar and Turkey and expects its “rights” to be respected.
Hamas police:
The entire issue of Hamas disarmament promises to be exceedingly complex. Israel will need to prepare for various machinations by Hamas – creative methods they will advance for appearing to cooperate and disarm without actually doing so.
See: “Israel warns Hamas may soon formally cede Gaza to technocrats but maintain actual power.”
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Trump is exceedingly eager to begin reconstruction of Gaza under Phase two. There is reason to expect he will look the other way with regard to those Hamas machinations, so that he can move ahead.
However, on Tuesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu “hailed the return of the final hostage from Gaza as a historic achievement, declaring that the first pillar of ‘absolute victory’ had been fulfilled and vowing to press ahead with disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the territory.”
In the end, it will be Israel that will disarm Hamas.
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Please, pray for all of Am Yisrael: for the wisdom and courage of our leaders and the strength of our IDF and all of our people.
©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
