The Israel Defense Forces announced Monday that it has recovered and identified the body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the final hostage remaining in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack. The recovery marks the first time since 2014 that no hostages are held in the Gaza Strip.
Gvili, a 24-year-old policeman with the Yamam counterterrorism unit, was killed defending Kibbutz Alumim during the October 7 attack, when Hamas and other militant groups stormed southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages. His body was subsequently taken into Gaza, where it remained for 843 days.
Following searches at a cemetery in eastern Gaza City, between Daraj Tuffah and the Shujaiya neighborhood, the IDF located Gvili's remains in what military officials described as "one of the largest operations ever" in the realm of missing persons and hostages. The National Center for Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, completed the identification process before military representatives notified Gvili's family.
On the morning of October 7, 2023, Gvili had been scheduled for surgery at a hospital when he learned of the attack and immediately deployed to assist. At approximately 10:50 a.m., he contacted colleagues via WhatsApp to report that he had been shot twice in the leg. He was declared fallen in battle on January 31, 2024, and designated as a hostage held by enemy forces.
"Ran fought with strength and self-sacrifice on the front line against the enemy," the Israel Police said in a statement following his death confirmation. The military operation to recover his body, code-named "Brave Heart," focused intensively on the cemetery area where intelligence suggested remains might be located. Gvili's family received continuous updates throughout the search process.
The recovery concludes a particularly painful chapter in Israeli society, where the fate of hostages and missing soldiers carries profound national significance. In Israel, as across contested regions, security concerns and aspirations for normalcy exist in constant tension. The return of fallen soldiers, even years after their deaths, remains a cornerstone of the military's ethical code and a point of unity across Israel's fractured political spectrum.
The October 7 attack triggered Israel's most extensive military campaign in Gaza in decades, resulting in widespread destruction across the Strip and the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. A ceasefire agreement reached in January 2026 resulted in the release of many remaining living hostages, though the terms of that agreement remain fragile and subject to ongoing negotiations.
Since 2014, when the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, soldiers killed during Operation Protective Edge, were taken by Hamas, Israel has maintained that their remains are held in Gaza. With Gvili's recovery, no confirmed hostages—living or deceased—remain in Hamas custody for the first time in over a decade, though Israel continues to seek information about soldiers missing from previous conflicts.
The recovery comes as Israel navigates complex regional dynamics, including ongoing security operations in the West Bank, tensions with Iran and its regional proxies, and internal political debates over judicial reforms and coalition stability. Defense analysts note that the operation demonstrates continued Israeli intelligence capabilities within Gaza despite the challenging post-war environment.
For Gvili's family and the broader Israeli public, the recovery brings a measure of closure to a chapter that has dominated national consciousness for over two years. Military representatives confirmed that Gvili will be brought home for burial in accordance with Israeli tradition and military protocol.
