Master Sergeant Ran (Rani) Gvili was laid to rest on Wednesday in Meitar, 845 days after October 7th. The funeral was attended by family members, friends, comrades from his unit, families of hostages, and senior officials, including the Prime Minister, the Police Commissioner, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, and the Ministers of Defense and Internal Security.
Gvili, 24, from Meitar, served in the Negev Special Patrol Unit and was known for his deep commitment to police service. According to his family, he took great pride in wearing the blue uniform. On the morning of October 7th, despite being injured at home with a broken shoulder from a motorcycle accident, he immediately put on his uniform after hearing of the terrorist infiltration and rushed to assist his unit.
On his way, Gvili encountered terrorists and fought at the entrance to Kibbutz Alumim. His actions earned him the nickname "Ran, Shield of Alumim." Months later, it was determined that after a fierce battle, he fell in combat when his ammunition ran out and was abducted to Gaza. He was later identified as having been killed in battle. Gvili was the last hostage to be returned home.
Ran is survived by his parents, Talik and Itzik, his brother Omri, his sister Shira, and an extended family.
During the funeral, family members and friends delivered eulogies.
His mother, Talik Gvili, said: "Rani, I imagine you up there with all the heroes who sacrificed their lives. Since that cursed day, every time a tear appears, I remember you whispering to me, ‘my proud mother.’" She said that throughout the period since October 7th, "it seems you became everyone’s child. They know you all over the world." She added that Gvili’s story reminded Israelis that "despite our disagreements, we are one great and strong nation." Talik noted that hundreds of soldiers took part in efforts to locate and return her son, saying, "There is no other nation like this in the world." She concluded, "Rani, you remain with me, every day and minute. I am a proud, proud mother."
His father, Itzik Gvili, told those present that he did not prepare written remarks. "I always speak from the heart with what I’m feeling at that moment," he said. Referring to the large crowd, he added, "To see everyone here standing before you, what you did and saved and united, this is not something to be taken for granted." He said the family continues to learn new things about Ran and that "the whole people of Israel and the whole world knows your story." He concluded, "I am so proud to be your father. I miss you every second, every minute."
Ran’s sister, Shira Gvili, recalled that two days after October 7th, her mother told her it would take time until her brother returned. "I never imagined it would take 843 days," she said, describing a period in which "pain, fear, and worry would become an inseparable part of our daily lives." She said her brother guided her throughout her life and continues to do so. Shira described traveling to the US with the goal of bringing her brother home, saying she spoke about him "at every opportunity," including at the UN, Congress, and the White House. Addressing her brother, she said, "I really did everything to bring you back."
His brother, Omri Gvili, said the family could now begin to move forward. "Today we can say that we finally passed the day called 10.07.23," he said. He recalled his last conversation with Ran on the morning of October 7th, when Ran told him he was "in the middle of a battle." Omri said that call never came, but added, "Today I closed the circle; today my hero brother came home." He said the pride felt by the family was shared by the entire nation.
Tom Brodsky, speaking on behalf of Ran’s close friends, said they fought "on every front" to bring him home. He thanked Ran for the friendship they shared and said they were proud to tell his story wherever they go, "in the hope that everyone will continue in your path."
Ran’s sister-in-law, Sharon, said she stood with a sense of relief that he would now be laid to rest "as befits you, a martyr of the kingdom." She said the family lives by the belief that "pride is stronger than sorrow" and expressed pride in Ran for going out to fight alongside his comrades, standing firm, and fighting "until the last bullet."
President Isaac Herzog also addressed the funeral, describing the moment as both "sacred and heartbreaking" as "our beloved hero, Rani, the last hostage, is finally laid to eternal rest in his homeland." Herzog said this was the home Gvili loved and fought for, adding, "This is the home he went out to defend with supreme bravery and self-sacrifice on that bitter and fateful day."
Addressing the family, Herzog said he was deeply moved by their words and asked forgiveness on behalf of the State of Israel. "Forgiveness that we were not there for him; forgiveness that, together with so many other families, you were forced to wait for his return for so many long, agonizing days," he said.
The President said that with Gvili’s return for burial, "the shattered fragments of our hearts can slowly begin to heal and repair," adding that an entire nation sees the family, embraces them, and understands that "through your path, and through Rani’s path, we must rise from this terrible agony." He called on Israelis to continue forward "strong and confident in our path, hand in hand," and to guard the State of Israel "with utmost devotion, just as Rani did."
Herzog also saluted the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces and members of the security forces, as well as all those who took part in Operation 'Courageous Heart,' praising their "devotion to the mission," sacrifice, determination, and commitment to the principle of leaving no one behind. He thanked all those involved in efforts to bring back the hostages, both those returned for burial in Israel and those recovered alive.
Concluding his remarks, Herzog said that in Gvili’s memory, and in the memory of all those who fell in the war, the nation is bound by a duty "to look directly at the place of the wound; to investigate thoroughly, to examine deeply, to pursue the truth; to heal and to recover, and together build here a shared Israeli tomorrow."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke at the funeral, addressing the Gvili family by name and saying, "In the language of the Bible, on behalf of my wife Sara and myself: Our souls are bound with yours." He said the family had met many times over the past two years, including during meetings abroad, and noted the deep impression made by the parents’ and siblings’ devotion.
Netanyahu said the burial of Ran Gvili marked the painful closure of the hostage chapter, stating that all Israeli hostages, living and deceased, had been brought home from enemy territory. He described how soldiers involved in the operation to locate Ran sang 'Hatikvah' and 'I believe with perfect faith' upon his identification, saying the moment caused his "heart to tremble." "If we did not believe, we would not have acted," Netanyahu said, adding that belief led to Ran being brought home after 843 days.
The Prime Minister said Israel remains committed to dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, declaring that those who raise a hand against Israel "will pay an unbearable price." He said the removal of yellow hostage pins symbolized the completion of the mission to return all captives, crediting the achievement to the heroism of Israel’s fighters and the resilience of the people.
Netanyahu described Ran as a police officer who left his home on October 7th despite a serious shoulder injury, armed himself, and entered battle in the western Negev. He said Ran saved many lives and fought terrorists at Kibbutz Alumim "until the very last bullet." Netanyahu said Ran’s fate occupied national leadership continuously, and recalled promising the family that he would be found and returned.
Referring to messages from other bereaved families, Netanyahu quoted Rabbi Doron Perez, who described the day as one of both pain and honor, and said the funeral was also a day of pride. He said Israel is a nation that does everything to return even a single hostage, calling it "a large family."
Netanyahu announced plans to establish a new community in the Negev named 'Renanim' in Ran’s memory, as well as a pre-military academy bearing his name to prepare young people for service in the Police, Border Police, and National Counter-Terror Unit. Concluding his remarks, he said Ran Gvili’s heroism would remain "a foundation stone in the defensive wall of our state forever," and said, "May his memory be a blessing."
The Gvili family left for the Shura Camp accompanied by a police convoy. From Shura, the procession traveled via Highway 60, Highway 6, and the Nesher Interchange, continuing on Route 431 to the base. The funeral began at 10:30 a.m., when the coffin left the Shura base and returned to Meitar along the same route.
