With the return of the body of Ran Gvili, the Gaza hostage crisis has ended, an outcome few believed possible when the full extent of what had happened on October 7, 2023 became known.
“This is bigger than people realize. Except for [Gvili’s] parents and the people in Israel, no one believed we would return all the hostages,” US President Donald Trump told Israel’s N12 news portal on Monday night.
Hamas and its terrorist allies took 251 Israelis into captivity–some already dead, most living–on that fateful morning. Given how long it had taken to secure the release of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit over a decade earlier and to recover the bodies of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin (who fell in the 2014 Gaza war), it seemed an impossible task to get them all out.
“Now,” Trump added, “Hamas must disarm, as they promised.”
IDF🇮🇱 Soldiers Emotionally Break Out in Song After Recovering Ran Gvili’s Body:

IDF soldiers who recovered the body of the last hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili, broke into song, singing ‘I Believe’ expressing faith in God and the belief that ultimate redemption will come, no… pic.twitter.com/CvkEktr6QA— Shiri_Sabra (@sabra_the) January 26, 2026
An offering of thanks
Speaking at the Knesset, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave thanks to God for the return of Gvili’s remains and the end of the hostage crises.
“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion,” Netanyahu said, reciting the Shehecheyanu prayer.
The prime minister also quoted from the Bible a passage that has become something of a mantra over the past two years:
“And there is hope for your future, says the Lord, and your children shall return to their own border.” (Jeremiah 31:16)
“There are no more hostages in Gaza,” declared Netanyahu. “The sons have returned to their borders and the daughters have returned to their borders. We have completed this mission, as I promised, and we shall likewise complete the rest of the goals we have set.”
Israel President Isaac Herzog and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee hold a chair reserved for the last Israeli hostage, Ran Gvili. Photo by Ma’ayan Toaf
“An entire nation breathes a sigh of relief”
Israel President Isaac Herzog used a scheduled event at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem to address the dramatic developments.
“An entire nation is breathing an enormous sigh of relief tonight, as all of our hearts are with Ran’s family,” said Herzog. “I want to thank everyone involved in the efforts to bring Ran home. I want to thank our government and the Prime Minister. I want to thank the IDF. I want to thank all the countries involved in brokering the hostage agreements, especially, and first and foremost, our dear friend, the United States of America and President Donald J. Trump.”
Echoing Netanyahu, Herzog noted that “for the first time since 2014, there is not a single Israeli citizen being held captive in the Gaza Strip.”
With the end of the Gaza hostage crisis, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee ceremoniously removes his yellow ribbon lapel pin. Photo by Ma’ayan Toaf
Also speaking at the event was US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, who noted the “extraordinary privilege” of finally removing the yellow hostages’ pin he, like so many others, had been wearing on his lapel for the past two years.
“I’m not going to keep it as a souvenir,” Huckabee said of the pin. “It brings nothing of a memory that I want to cherish or to hold. I will get rid of it. I will never see it again, and I will pray that never in the history of the nation of Israel will anyone ever wear a yellow ribbon on their clothing again, because I pray there will never be a moment when another Israeli family has to go through the agony of someone among them being taken hostage by evil people.”
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