Itzik Gvili, the father of the last fallen Israeli hostage still held in Gaza, told Kan News on Thursday morning that no one knows where his son is—not even the terror groups in Gaza—and expressed fear that his son won’t be returned to Israel.

His son, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, H’yd, a Yasam counterterrorism officer, was killed battling terrorists on October 7, and his body was abducted to Gaza. He was on medical leave at the time, awaiting surgery for a broken shoulder, but voluntarily joined the battle to save lives.

“We daven that he won’t be another Ron Arad or another Hadar Goldin and have to carry this around for many, many years,” Itzik said.

“We keep going because we have no choice. Hamas claims they’re searching, but we don’t see any progress. They’re toying with us—playing games and deceiving us.”

Gvili added that the Hostages and Missing Families Forum is about to shut down. “As I understand it, the Forum will close because there they don’t want to maintain the entire framework for just one hostage,” he said.

“A year ago they began writing a Sefer Torah for the Nova survivors, and I asked that Rani also be mentioned there. Two days after the Sefer Torah was completed, the deal was signed and all the living hostages returned. For me, until I receive Rani, dead or alive—he is alive. I have nothing else to hope for.”

“Rani is, after all, a gibor Yisrael (hero). He went out to save lives; he wasn’t abducted from Nova or from a house,” Itzik added.

“He left his home wounded and went to save an entire country. Just as Rani didn’t forget the country that day, I don’t want the country to forget him.”

The body of Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak is also still being held in Gaza.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)