ISRAEL BURIES LAST GAZA HOSTAGE – Final captive returned under ceasefire deal
Israel is preparing to bury the remains of the last Israeli captive recovered from Gaza, marking a painful milestone after one of the most traumatic chapters in the country’s history.
Ran Gvili, an off-duty police officer, was killed while fighting militants during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel and was taken into Gaza by Islamic Jihad, according to Israeli officials. He was among around 250 people abducted during the assault, which killed about 1,200 people and triggered the war in Gaza.
Many hostages were freed during brief ceasefires, but dozens died in captivity. Under a deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, remaining hostages — living or dead — were returned in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Gvili’s burial is seen as a moment of national closure in Israel and completes a key phase of the ceasefire plan, as efforts move into a second stage aimed at easing restrictions and reopening Gaza’s Rafah border with Egypt.
