He continued, \u201cYou should see the respect that you\u2019re getting here, everyone who brought you. The whole police force is with you, the whole army is with you, the whole nation is with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
As his hand patted the coffin, he added, \u201cI\u2019m proud of you, my son.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he bent down and kissed the coffin.<\/p>\n
The coffin was then taken to Tel Aviv\u2019s National Institute of Forensic Medicine, for a more robust identification process. Gvili was set to be given a proper Jewish burial on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Itzik Gvili\u2019s words were a striking moment in an evening full of emotion for Israel, as the return of Ran\u2019s body marked the end of the more than two-year-long ordeal of the hostages and their families.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank everyone who stood by us for the last two years,\u201d Talik said outside the family\u2019s home on Monday night. \u201cWe\u2019re very proud to get to this place, especially because we know that those who took Rani out of that cursed place were IDF soldiers.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added, \u201cWe\u2019re proud of you, the police, the government, everyone who gave so, so much strength. To our prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his wife, to US President Donald Trump, to [US envoy Steve] Witkoff, to [Trump\u2019s son-in-law and adviser Jared] Kushner, to the Israel Police\u2026 I hope we can get through this difficult period and win.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur pride is much, much stronger than our pain,\u201d she said. \u201cThe people of Israel lives and is strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ran\u2019s brother Omri echoed his mother\u2019s words, saying: \u201cOur pride today is much greater than our sorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had the prize of being the brother of an Israeli hero, who did the unbelievable,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Said Itzik: \u201cIf you\u2019d have asked Rani how he wanted to go, it would have been like this. This is his way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe saved us, saved the people of Israel, saved Kibbutz Alumim, he saved everyone,\u201d Itzik added. \u201cRani always loved bringing people together, and 1769487548 he\u2019s united the country. I don\u2019t know how, but he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
His sister, Shira, said, \u201cI just feel a crazy sense of freedom. I feel relief. I\u2019m sad, very sad, that it ended this way. But it needed to end sometime, and I\u2019m so happy he\u2019s come back home. Rani is on the way. Rani is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-21-e1769453557152-640x400.jpeg\")
\n\t\tFrom left: Mother Talik, brother Omri, and father Itzik Shvili speak to reporters after the body of Ran Shvili, the last Israeli hostage in Gaza, is located and brought back to Israel by the IDF on January 26, 2026. Off-camera at left is Ran\u2019s sister Shira. (Channel 12 screenshot)<\/p>\n
The operation in which Gvili\u2019s remains were found by the Israel Defense Forces in a Gaza City cemetery was dubbed \u201cCourageous Heart.\u201d In addition to concluding the efforts to bring the hostages home, the operation successfully ended months of searches for Gvili\u2019s remains in locations throughout Gaza.<\/p>\n
The emotional resonance of the moment was immediately clear. Before the body left Gaza, soldiers gathered around it to sing \u201cAni Ma\u2019amin\u201d (I Believe), a traditional Jewish song of faith and resilience sung in times of strife.<\/p>\n
Later, the IDF\u2019s top brass saluted the body, wrapped in an Israeli flag, as soldiers sang the national anthem, Hatikvah.<\/p>\n
After Gvili\u2019s body crossed the border into Israel, police posted a livestream of the convoy carrying the coffin.<\/p>\n
\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WhatsApp_Image_2026-01-26_at_19.22.39-640x400.jpeg\")
\n\t\tIDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (center) and Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor (right) salute the body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, after it was located in eastern Gaza City, January 26, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n
The livestream showed Itzik Gvili speaking with IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, reminiscing about his son.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe Rani in some way brought the nation together,\u201d he said. \u201cThe situation, the story, everything that happened, it\u2019s like he connected everyone. He was a magnet, like, he was a magnet in his life, for all of his friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Itzik recalled that when his son was serving in the IDF and had to stay on base on Fridays, he would ask his parents to bring him enough food for 50 or 60 soldiers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe nation of Israel needs to come together in his merit,\u201d Itzik said.<\/p>\n
After Itzik embraced people who had come to accompany him, he walked ahead of pallbearers carrying the coffin, behind a banner reading, \u201cIsrael is waiting for Rani, hero of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the procession moved forward, a rabbi began chanting Psalm 91, which speaks of not having fear in the shelter of God. He then chanted another liturgical poem, \u201cAna B\u2019Koach,\u201d beseeching God for protection. He then recited the mourner\u2019s kaddish.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/F260126EM308-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>