Statement by the EAJC regarding the return of the final Israeli hostage from the Gaza Strip

The Israel Defense Forces have concluded Operation “Braveheart” in the Gaza Strip, during which the remains of the final hostage abducted on October 7, 2023 — Staff Sergeant Ran Gvili of the police special forces — were recovered and identified. Gvili, a 24-year-old officer of the YASAM police special unit from the Negev town of Meitar, died heroically in battle defending Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel on the day of the Hamas terrorist invasion. Following his murder, his body was taken to the Gaza Strip, where it was held for 843 days.

For the first time in 12 years, no Israeli citizens are currently being held in the Gaza Strip.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, together with the State of Israel and the Jewish people globally, shares a complex sentiment of profound grief over the loss and sincere relief that, 843 agonizingly long days after the largest terrorist attack in the nation's history, all the children of Israel have returned home — the living to rebuild, and the fallen to be laid to rest with due dignity in their native soil.

President of the EAJC, Dr. Mikhail Mirilashvili, stated:

“Police Staff Sergeant Ran Gvili is a hero of Israel — and those are but the most modest words to describe him. Ran truly embodied all the traits that have enabled the Jewish people, throughout their history, to endure wars, catastrophes, existential threats, the wrath of tyrants, the ultimate cruelty of enemies, and the darkest of times — and to emerge stronger, more resilient, and more convinced of the righteousness of their path.

Ran was precisely such a man.

He was among the first to enter the battlefield, disregarding an injury from which he had been recovering for several months, disregarding the pleas of his family who tried to dissuade him, and disregarding the scale of the tragedy that engulfed the entire Israeli south on that Black Saturday. He pursued a single objective — to defend his country and its people. And he achieved it. Having accomplished this, he returned as the last, completing his mission with honor and dignity. The name of Ran Gvili will forever remain in the history of the State of Israel and the Jewish people as a synonym for heroism, resilience, courage, and self-sacrifice.

On behalf of the EAJC and all the regional communities, I express my gratitude to the fearless soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces who brought Ran Gvili home and secured victory in this war. I thank everyone who has relentlessly labored over the past two and a half years to ensure that Israel overcomes its existential threats and embarks on the path of recovery. For all of us, that path begins today. This journey will be no less challenging, but it will undoubtedly culminate in yet another triumph — the triumph of dignity, humanity, and the human spirit.

Our hearts are with the extraordinary Gvili family, who endured this long ordeal with immense dignity.

May the memory of Ran Gvili and all those who perished on October 7 be eternalized and blessed.

‘Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season!’”

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּ