Talik Gvili, mother of Yasam officer Ran Gvili, together with Gal Hirsch, Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons, on Tuesday evening lit the torch symbolizing the completion of the mission to bring all the hostages home from the Gaza Strip at the Independence Day Torch Lighting Ceremony on Mount Herzl.
On October 7, 2023, despite being injured, Ran raced toward the line of fire in the Gaza envelope. He saved dozens of survivors from the Nova music festival massacre and eliminated dozens of terrorists during the battle for Kibbutz Alumim, until he ran out of ammunition.
Ran fell in battle and his body was abducted by Hamas. In January of 2026, 843 days after he was taken, the IDF announced that his body had been returned to Israel for burial. Ran was the last hostage to come home.
Talik Gvili took the stage on Tuesday carrying the memory of her son. In her speech, she thanked the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their unwavering commitment to bringing every hostage home.
"To the Government of Israel - led by Benjamin Netanyahu, who did not give up until the very last hostage. You promised, and you delivered! Rani, there is no mother prouder than I am to be your mother. Pride is stronger than sorrow."
Talik also delivered a clear and resolute message to Israel’s enemies: “Know this - we have been here since the beginning, and we will remain here forever." She called for unity between right and left, religious and secular.
Standing beside her, Gal Hirsch lit the torch. The veteran officer, who was seriously wounded in battle and returned to command, took on the complex role of Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons on October 8, 2023.
Hirsch, who worked around the clock with both enemy states and allies, paid tribute to the Israeli efforts by the IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad teams handling hostages and missing persons, as well as to the US administration under President Trump.
In his remarks, Hirsch emphasized a sacred Israeli value: “We are Israelis, and we will turn the world upside down to ensure that no brother of ours is left behind. I light this torch in honor of the hostages - both the women and the men - who fought with such heroism: those we succeeded in saving, and those we were unable to bring home alive."