Despite the stormy weather, hundreds gathered on Friday afternoon at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, inside the Beit Ariela Library, for the weekly Kabbalat Shabbat service in honor of Ran Gvili, the last hostage whose body is still being held by the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza.
The service was led by Kibbutz Alumim and the Kibbutz Movement. Participants were united around one clear message: there can be no move to a second phase without Ran’s return.
Members of Kibbutz Alumim stood alongside families of hostages, residents of Gaza border communities, and supporters from across the country, underscoring the urgency of bringing Ran home.
Among those present were captivity survivor Bar Kupershtein, families of former hostages, members of Ran’s Border Police unit, friends from Meitar, members of the emergency response team who fought beside Ran on October 7, police officers, and Ran’s family. Speakers emphasized that Ran has now been held captive for 826 days, and that his return remains essential and non-negotiable.
Bar Kupershtein, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival and released in the most recent deal, addressed the crowd.
“In captivity, Shabbat was the only stable thing I had. There was no sense of time, no day or night, but Shabbat held me together. I couldn’t pray out loud, so I prayed silently, to myself. It was the only place where I felt free," he said.
“Faith and Shabbat obligate us to care for one another. That is why I am here - to continue the fight for Rani’s return. He went out to fight for all of us, while wounded. Now we must be here for him and for his family."
“I know what it means not to breathe until your loved one returns. I will not allow another family to endure that pain. Rani is a hero of Israel, and he must be brought home," stressed Kupershtein.
Ran’s parents, Talik and Itzik Gvili, arrived directly from the Tiberias Marathon, which was dedicated to Ran’s return. They expressed sincere gratitude for the large turnout and the continued solidarity shown by the public.
Itzik Gvili, Ran’s father, said, “Rani may not know this, but he saved an entire kibbutz, and in doing so, he gave us a new family. The Gaza border communities are beginning to recover, but there can be no real rebuilding until Rani is home. Rani knew exactly what he was doing. If faced with the same moment again - including captivity - I am certain he would do it all over again. That’s who he is."
Talik Gvili, Ran's mother, spoke of unity and collective strength. “If Rani could hear us now, he would say: ‘Please don’t treat me as if I were the only hero.’ There were 255 hostages. 254 have returned, and many of their families stand with us every week. Kibbutz Alumim has become our family, the hostage families are our family, and so are the dedicated volunteers of the Families Forum. This unity, this togetherness, is what gives us strength. We hope this is the last Shabbat we gather here for this reason, but if not, please come again next week. We need you."
Shai Wenkert, father of captivity survivor Omer Wenkert pledged that the Gvili family will not stand alone, committing that the families of the 254 released hostages will continue to stand with them until Ran returns.
Additional remarks were delivered by Sarah Evron, CEO of the Religious Kibbutz Movement; Rabbi Amit Kula, rabbi of Kibbutz Alumim, who offered a prayer for Ran’s return; Esther Marcus, Director of Resilience for Sha’ar HaNegev; and Tamir Idan, Head of the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council, who stressed that recovery and reconstruction cannot be complete while Ran remains in captivity.
The service concluded with the singing of Hatikvah, joined by Ran’s parents and members of Kibbutz Alumim’s emergency response and operations teams who fought alongside Ran and helped save many lives on October 7.
(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.)