‘Our pride is greater than our sorrow’: Family of Ran Gvili hail his heroism, Israel’s strength, as body comes home

Standing over the coffin of his son that has been draped in an Israeli flag, Itzik Gvili appeared at a loss for words.

For 843 days, since Ran Gvili left home on October 7, 2023, to fight Hamas terrorists before being killed and taken to Gaza, Itzik Gvili and his wife, Talik, had held out the slimmest of hopes that their boy was still alive — despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Now, standing bereft over the coffin, the father lifted up his hand and raised his eyebrows. “What can I say?” he asked, sighing.

Then, in the presence of police officers and soldiers accompanying Ran Gvili on his final journey home, Itzik spoke to his son.

“You dummy, you had every chance to stay at home,” he said, a soft smile playing on his lips. “But you said, ‘Dad.’ What did you tell me? ‘I won’t leave my friends to fight alone.’”

He continued, “You should see the respect that you’re getting here, everyone who brought you. The whole police force is with you, the whole army is with you, the whole nation is with you.”

As his hand patted the coffin, he added, “I’m proud of you, my son.”

Then he bent down and kissed the coffin.

The coffin was then taken to Tel Aviv’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine, for a more robust identification process. Gvili was set to be given a proper Jewish burial on Wednesday.

Itzik Gvili’s words were a striking moment in an evening full of emotion for Israel, as the return of Ran’s body marked the end of the more than two-year-long ordeal of the hostages and their families.

“I want to thank everyone who stood by us for the last two years,” Talik said outside the family’s home on Monday night. “We’re very proud to get to this place, especially because we know that those who took Rani out of that cursed place were IDF soldiers.”

She added, “We’re proud of you, the police, the government, everyone who gave so, so much strength. To our prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his wife, to US President Donald Trump, to [US envoy Steve] Witkoff, to [Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared] Kushner, to the Israel Police… I hope we can get through this difficult period and win.”

“Our pride is much, much stronger than our pain,” she said. “The people of Israel lives and is strong.”

Ran’s brother Omri echoed his mother’s words, saying: “Our pride today is much greater than our sorrow.”

“I had the prize of being the brother of an Israeli hero, who did the unbelievable,” he added.

Said Itzik: “If you’d have asked Rani how he wanted to go, it would have been like this. This is his way.”

“He saved us, saved the people of Israel, saved Kibbutz Alumim, he saved everyone,” Itzik added. “Rani always loved bringing people together, and 1769484743 he’s united the country. I don’t know how, but he did.”

His sister, Shira, said, “I just feel a crazy sense of freedom. I feel relief. I’m sad, very sad, that it ended this way. But it needed to end sometime, and I’m so happy he’s come back home. Rani is on the way. Rani is coming.”

The operation in which Gvili’s remains were found by the Israel Defense Forces in a Gaza City cemetery was dubbed “Courageous Heart.” In addition to concluding the efforts to bring the hostages home, the operation successfully ended months of searches for Gvili’s remains in locations throughout Gaza.

The emotional resonance of the moment was immediately clear. Before the body left Gaza, soldiers gathered around it to sing “Ani Ma’amin” (I Believe), a traditional Jewish song of faith and resilience sung in times of strife.

Later, the IDF’s top brass saluted the body, wrapped in an Israeli flag, as soldiers sang the national anthem, Hatikvah.

After Gvili’s body crossed the border into Israel, police posted a livestream of the convoy carrying the coffin.

The livestream showed Itzik Gvili speaking with IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, reminiscing about his son.

“I believe Rani in some way brought the nation together,” he said. “The situation, the story, everything that happened, it’s like he connected everyone. He was a magnet, like, he was a magnet in his life, for all of his friends.”

Itzik recalled that when his son was serving in the IDF and had to stay on base on Fridays, he would ask his parents to bring him enough food for 50 or 60 soldiers.

“The nation of Israel needs to come together in his merit,” Itzik said.

After Itzik embraced people who had come to accompany him, he walked ahead of pallbearers carrying the coffin, behind a banner reading, “Israel is waiting for Rani, hero of Israel.”

As the procession moved forward, a rabbi began chanting Psalm 91, which speaks of not having fear in the shelter of God. He then chanted another liturgical poem, “Ana B’Koach,” beseeching God for protection. He then recited the mourner’s kaddish.

Police Commissioner Daniel Levy then called Gvili the force’s “DNA,” and lamented that he could not have come back alive.

“We salute you, we respect you, and we apologize… that we could not save you and bring you back alive,” he said. “May your memory be for a blessing.”