26/01/2026
The Israel Defense Forces announced Monday afternoon that the identity of the last hostage, Ran Gvili, has been confirmed. With this development, all hostages have now been returned from the Gaza Strip, and for the first time since 2014, there are no longer any Israeli hostages there.
According to the IDF, Gvili was brought back to Israel 843 days after being kidnapped in the October 7 massacre, and his identity was confirmed at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the moment, saying, “Ran, hero of Israel — he went in first and came out last. This is a great achievement.”
Sergeant First Class Ran Gvili, 24, from the community of Meitar, was killed in battle at Kibbutz Alumim and kidnapped by Hamas terrorists to the Gaza Strip.
Gvili served as a combat fighter in the Negev Border Police in the Southern District. On October 7, despite being injured with a broken shoulder from a motorcycle accident and scheduled for surgery, he went into combat. He succeeded in saving the lives of dozens of revelers at the Re’im music festival before being killed and abducted.
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