Few believed this would ever happen. Politicians will say what they say, but it was close to impossible. The unimaginable number of hostages. The chaos of that day and its aftermath. The brutal war, the dead, the destruction. The cruel enemy. And yet, Israel did the unthinkable, with the decisive assistance of US President Donald Trump, and brought home all 251 hostages taken on October 7, along with four additional hostages who had been held in Gaza before the war.
The past few days were nerve-racking. On one hand, the race to locate Gvili, knowing that with every passing day he could disappear and then be forgotten. On the other, the American demand to open the Rafah crossing as part of the transition to phase two of the deal. Two clocks were ticking, one moral and one pragmatic. In the end, the right one prevailed. Ran Gvili prevailed. A final victory of a hero who went out to fight that Saturday while wounded in the shoulder, saved many lives and paid for it with his own.
Much will still be told about Gvili's final hours and about what happened after his death. His body was buried, then moved and buried again. Those transfers created the chain of knowledge and intelligence that ultimately made it possible to locate him yesterday. It required complex operations and relentless interrogations that narrowed the possibilities to two. A tunnel that the Israel Defense Forces drilled into and found nothing, and a cemetery that the IDF excavated until Gvili was found.
Two hundred and fifty bodies were recovered from mass graves in Gaza and examined until a dentist confirmed the identification as Gvili. Within minutes, the message reached the entire command chain, up to the chief of staff, who marked his 60th birthday yesterday with a gift beyond measure: there are no longer any Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Yesterday morning I spoke with Gvili's uncle, Ziv Tzioni. He admitted honestly that the family was torn. On one hand, the need for certainty. On the other, the hope that despite everything, Ran was alive. One's heart goes out to this remarkable family, to the parents, Talik and Itzik, and to the sister, Shira, who waged a dignified struggle even when they were left alone. "He went out first and will return last," Talik said. And he did return last. What matters is that he returned.
The task now: unity and healing
Now that the mission is complete and everyone is home, politics returns. International politics will demand that Israel meet its commitments after Hamas fulfilled its part and returned all the hostages, the living and the fallen. And Israeli politics must investigate the failure and the catastrophe, and must also find the resources and the resolve required for the full rehabilitation of everyone and everything that needs it.
This is essential for the living hostages who have returned and for their families, whose hearts remained broken as long as hostages were held in Gaza and can now begin a genuine process of healing.
It is also the State of Israel that needs healing. It entered October 7 already sick and remains sick today. Gvili's return can serve as a compass. If there is total victory, this is it.
Hamas' defeat will take years and will demand military determination and diplomatic wisdom, and also the reverse. Rebuilding the communities and the lives will also take time. The pain over the fallen, civilians and soldiers alike, will never end. The one thing that could and should have united the nation, the sweet pill in a sea of bitterness, was realized yesterday.
One can only hope that the moments of pure joy that swept across Israeli society from wall to wall will last beyond a single moment. It is owed to Gvili, who went out to save others without asking and without hesitation. It is owed to the other hostages, those who died and those who returned alive. It is owed to the soldiers who went out to bring them home. It is owed to the families and the communities. It is owed to all of us.
A little quiet. A little normalcy. Without pins. Without dog tags. Without signs.
Ran Gvili is home. It is time for the State of Israel to come home as well.
