Shehecheyanu in Gaza: Rabbi's Blessing as Ran Gvili Comes Home
After 843 days in Hamas captivity following his death on October 7, the body of fallen hostage Ran Gvili was recovered from a mass grave in northern Gaza during Operation "Brave Heart," bringing immense relief and emotion to his family and the nation.
The Israel Defense Forces successfully located and recovered the body of Staff Sergeant Ran Gvili, the last deceased Israeli hostage held by Hamas terrorists, during Operation "Brave Heart" in northern Gaza. Gvili was killed in combat on October 7, 2023, and his remains were abducted to the Strip. The mission, executed under time pressure due to an approaching forecast of heavy rains that could disrupt excavations, focused on a large cemetery complex between Darj-Tuffah and Shejaiya, east of the Yellow Line but in an area under significant Israeli operational control.
The operation began over the weekend after a shift in intelligence assessments by Southern Command and the Israel Security Agency pinpointed the burial site. Earlier efforts had included extensive engineering searches in a suspected tunnel about a kilometer from the cemetery, but those were ruled out. The final breakthrough came from new, precise intelligence that directed forces to the mass grave believed to contain up to 170 bodies. Teams from the Alexandroni Brigade, under the command of Sinai Division's Brig. Gen. Yehuda Vach, along with armored units, special forces, military rabbinate personnel, forensic dentists equipped with X-ray machines, and heavy engineering equipment conducted meticulous excavations and examinations. Mental health officers accompanied the forces given the psychological complexity of working in a mass burial site.
Identification was confirmed definitively through dental records after checking approximately 250 bodies. Once the body was located, Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir arrived at the scene, saluted the coffin, and joined soldiers in singing Hatikva. During a field ceremony he declared, "For more than two years we have waited for this moment, the return of the last hostage. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this time. The body of Ran Gvili has been found, and with this we have essentially completed our main mission: returning all the hostages, living and deceased, to their home, to their country, to their families." A rabbi recited the Shehecheyanu blessing at the site.
A command ceremony was held at Nahal Oz outpost with Israel Police Commissioner and YAMAM colleagues participating in honor of Gvili, who served in the elite counter-terrorism unit. His mother, Talik Gvili, expressed cautious hope mixed with anxiety. "I saw the reports and I really hope this is not Hamas trickery. We received indications from the government a few days ago, we have been aware for several days. They are updating us," she said. "This is not an easy situation. We underestimated Hamas's capabilities but Ran went out to defend the State of Israel and we will bring him back. We very much hope there will be results. This is like searching for a needle in a haystack. We are waiting and from here I want to send to the IDF soldiers: stay safe and be careful, and I am proud of the IDF. Until the last hostage, until Ran Gvili."
His father, Itzik Gvili, bid farewell as the coffin was transferred to Israeli territory. "You had every option to stay home, but you told me, 'Dad, I won't leave my friends to fight alone.' The entire nation is with you. I am proud of you, my son." Hundreds of residents from the Eshkol region accompanied the convoy at Nahal Oz junction, while crowds gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to mark the return of the final hostage.
Soldiers involved described the mission as one of the most complex they had participated in. "This was one of the largest and most complex operations we have been part of. Enormous capabilities the IDF invested here and this is a huge message, not only about the value of comradeship but an important lesson for all of us. The IDF will do everything to bring its sons home. This moment was rare and will never be forgotten, for him we stood," one fighter told N12. In communications recordings, the Alexandroni Brigade commander announced, "Now it is our privilege to return the brave warrior to a grave in Israel and to eternal rest." The operation's success closes a painful chapter for Gvili's family and the nation after more than two years of waiting.
