Ran Gvili, H’yd, is the only slain hostage still being held by Hamas in Gaza following the return of the remains of Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak on Wednesday.

Following Israel’s announcement confirming Rinthalak’s identification, The Tikva Forum, a right-wing group founded by families of the hostages, stated, “We share in the grief of the family of Sudthisak Rinthalak, who will be laid to rest in his country. Our hearts are with the beloved Gvili family. Dear Talik and Itzik, we stand with you and won’t stop fighting until Rani, a Gibor Yisrael, returns home. I turn to the political leadership: For every day that Rani is not returned, Hamas must pay a price—a heavy price. We must not accept this situation and allow Hamas to play games with us.”

Earlier this week, Ran’s parents released a statement calling for Israel not to move to the next phase of the deal until Ran is returned: “Rani is being held in Gaza. Our son—an Israeli hero who, on October 7, put on his police uniform, left home to fight despite being injured, and protected us all. Just as Rani would never leave anyone behind, now we must complete the mission—for him and for us. It is our duty as a nation to ensure that Rani is not left behind in that hell. Israel must not move to Phase B of the deal as long as even one hostage remains in Gaza.”

“Please don’t take down the yellow ribbons; don’t remove Rani’s photos from the streets. The struggle isn’t over. We call on the people of Israel and Jews around the world to continue supporting us in the fight to bring Rani home, in the hope that this will end soon and that we can all begin to heal—as a family and as a nation.”

Ran, a Yasam counterterrorism officer, was on medical leave on October 7, 2023, awaiting surgery for his dislocated shoulder. Nevertheless, when the Hamas massacre began, he put on his uniform and joined the battle. Fighting with one arm, he personally killed 14 terrorists. He was last seen during the battle at Alumim, where he bravely continued fighting even after being wounded.

Last month, Ran’s father, Itzik, told Kan News that no one knows where his son’s body is—not even the terror groups in Gaza—and voiced fear that his son might never return to Israel, chalila.

“We pray he won’t become another Ron Arad, another Goldin, and that we won’t carry this for many, many years,” Itzik said. “We keep going because we must. Hamas claims it’s searching, but there’s no progress. They shake us, play games with us, and mock us.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)