Credit: Israel Police
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced today the recovery of the remains of Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage from the Hamas attack in October 2023.
Ran Gvili, a police sergeant in Israel and also a Portuguese citizen, was killed on October 7, 2023, while helping to rescue dozens of people during the Hamas raid at the Nova Festival in Gaza. At the time, Gvili was recovering from a motorcycle accident and awaiting another surgery when he was alerted to the attack. He was killed in a firefight with Hamas militants, who later took his body to Gaza.
The location of Gvili’s remains was confirmed after an intensive IDF intelligence operation, which indicated that he had been buried in a Muslim cemetery in the Shejaiay Darah-Tuffah area of northern Gaza, on the Israeli side of the yellow line. Gvili’s identity was confirmed by the National Forensic Institute, rabbinical advisors, the police, and the IDF, who immediately notified the family.
"There are officially no more hostages in captivity in Gaza", the IDF said on X.
"The deceased hostage SFC Ran Gvili has been identified and will be returned for burial. According to the information and intelligence available to us, SFC Ran Gvili, 24, who served in the Israeli Police Special Forces, fell in combat on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, and his body was abducted to Gaza. The IDF expresses deep condolences to family. The IDF will continue to support the families and the returnees, and to act to strengthen the security of the citizens of Israel", the IDF added.
“It is with relief that Ran Gvili’s remains return to Israel. I also remember that he held Portuguese nationality and was not the first member of his family to appeal to Sepharad. His maternal great-grandparents, Eduardo Nada and Esther Nada, were registered as ‘protected Spaniards’ at the Spanish Consulate in Alexandria in 1938. This reflects the broader history of the Jewish people,” said Gabriel Senderowicz, president of the Jewish Community of Oporto.
