Lieutenant H., who leads a research team at the Captives and Missing Persons Headquarters in the IDF Intelligence Directorate, and Sergeant Major M., head of the decryption team, spoke with Arutz Sheva about their work in advancing the return of the hostages in general - and specifically Ran Gvili - and processing the significant news that there are no more hostages in Gaza.
"I think it's hard to put into words the level of excitement we felt in the room when we were informed that they found Ran," begins Lieutenant H. "There were tears and hugs. It was hard to grasp in that moment that we had completed the mission."
Sergeant Major M. notes, "This is an event of an unimaginable scale. It's hard to explain in words the feelings of someone who has been working on returning live captives and fallen soldiers for about a year. To reach the point where there are no captives at all in the Gaza Strip - it's unfathomable."
Lieutenant H. worked throughout the war to promote the release of captives. "I joined the headquarters in November 2023. Initially, I worked on returning live captives, and a few months ago, I switched to working on Ran's case. The feeling was that this was an impossible, complex, almost illogical mission. Thanks to many good people who worked day and night, we reached a solid intelligence breakthrough. We had the cemetery, other routes, and other possibilities for where Ran might be buried. As time passed, we took actions to increase the intelligence, and the cemetery route became stronger until the operation reached fruition."
She adds that this was a highly complex operational area, involving the examination of hundreds of bodies - including the use of Yahalom soldiers, Alexandroni soldiers, doctors, and military rabbinate personnel. "Everyone believed the mission would succeed and came with an incredible sense of mission."
However, she admits that there was always concern within the team that the hard work would not lead to success. "We went into the operation without certainty that Ran was there, and there was a fear that he wouldn't be in that place. The entire country is expecting, and you might disappoint the people of Israel and Ran's family. In the end, the news that they found him was amazing. Both the soldiers in the headquarters and our partners came with a lot of motivation, and that's what made the difference. You feel the sense of meaning and the belief of the people of Israel in your success."
Sergeant Major M. concludes, "You know the captive like the back of your hand, and you want to create a sense of pride for yourself, but also for the state and the entire nation. The mission that was on our shoulders was much greater than anything someone my age could experience, and thanks to the unit's efforts, we succeeded."