Crowds gathered on Friday at Hostages Square for Kabbalat Shabbat in a collective call for the return of Ran Gvili, the lone remaining hostage whose body is being held in Gaza.
Shira Gvili, Ran's sister, addressed the gathering, saying, "Rani is the last hostage remaining in Gaza, but he is the first. He's always been first. First to help, first to assist, first to save. Rani is the first to put on the blue uniform and run straight into hell. Rani is the unsung hero, Rani is first for all of us: the leader, the charismatic one, the strong one, the calming presence, the brave one.”
“Rani is also the best friend, a big brother. The first person I told my secrets to, the first I turned to for advice, cried with, laughed with. Rani will always remain first in my heart, and I ask that he stay first in your hearts and on your lips as well, at least until he comes home,” she added.
“This is the first Shabbat that Rani has remained alone there, still in the hands of the enemy. 254 hostages have been returned from Gaza, and our Rani is still there.”
“There's nothing like the love between siblings, nothing like those small moments of connection at home, and each of you knows what it means to love a brother or sister. The laughter, the fights, the shared loves. Turning our heads in unison when someone calls our family name, laughing at the same things, understanding entire worlds of feelings and thoughts with just a glance across the Shabbat table. That's who Rani is to me,” she stated.
“We've done everything we could over these two years. Gone to countless meetings, given interviews, shouted, asked, pleaded, and prayed. Our faith in you, in our people, in the army, in the police, in good people, alongside faith itself, keeps us above water. Faith gives us air to breathe.”
“Just before this Shabbat begins, and I so hope it will be the last Shabbat that our Rani is still there, I ask again to reiterate the demand not to proceed to Phase 2 until Rani is home. To compel Hamas to return Rani to the country he loved so much. Think, if only for one moment, about my Rani, about all of our Rani. Until the last hostage," concluded Shira Gvili.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)