On Monday afternoon in Israel, the IDF announced that it had recovered the remains of St. Sgt. Maj. Ran Gvili, the last October 7 hostage still being held in Gaza.

Gvili was a member of an elite police counterterrorism unit. On October 7, 2023, corresponding to the holiday of Shemini Atzeres, he was off duty, awaiting surgery for a broken shoulder. When he heard of the Hamas invasion, he nevertheless rushed into battle to defend his brethren under attack. He was killed that day, and his body was taken by terrorists to Gaza, where it was held, along with approximately 250 other living and deceased hostages, as a bargaining chip.

Over the two and a half years since, the other 250 hostages were returned to Israel through negotiated deals and daring rescue operations, along with two additional hostages and the remains of two Israeli soldiers who had been held in Gaza since 2014.

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As time passed and the final remains had yet to be recovered, fears grew that some bodies might never be found. And after the previous two hostages were returned at the end of November and beginning of December, the weeks dragged on with no word as to whether Ran Gvili’s body would be located.

Amid the prolonged uncertainty and strain, Ran’s parents remained steadfast. They spoke publicly about their son, advocated for his return, and participated in mitzvah campaigns in his merit, becoming symbols of faith and resilience throughout the ordeal.

Around the world, people prayed for his body’s return, as well as the recovery of those who’d returned previously.

Finally, on Monday, January 26, his body was discovered buried in a cemetery in central Gaza. After being identified, he was transferred to Israel, accompanied by IDF soldiers who sang “Ani Ma’amin,” the anthem expressing the Jewish people’s unwavering faith in the coming of Moshiach.

In a phone call with Ran’s father, Israel’s police commissioner, Danny Levy, told him: “I just want to tell you that he was found intact, with his uniform and everything on him. You are receiving your son as he was when he went out, even with a rip in his pants.”

The return of the body of a murdered hostage is a bittersweet milestone. It revives the anguish of October 7, when Ran and so many others lost their lives. Yet it also echoes the words of the Talmud (Berachot 48b), which records that in a similar moment, the sages instituted a blessing of thanksgiving to G‑d, one that is recited to this day.

In its discussion of Birkat Hamazon, the grace after meals, the Talmudic sage Rav Nachman teaches that the fourth blessing was established after the Roman authorities finally permitted the Jews to bury those slain in Beitar. The city had been the stronghold of the Bar Kochba revolt. When the Romans crushed the uprising, they massacred thousands of Jews and forbade their burial. Only years later was permission granted.

The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, pointed to that teaching as an example of the unity and love of the Jewish people, not only between those who are physically alive, but also with the souls of those who have already passed.

With all the hostages now returned, attention turns to the responsibility of leaders in the Holy Land and in the United States to make wise and principled decisions, acting decisively to safeguard those living in the Holy Land and to protect its integrity and security. Only through such measures can lasting safety be secured for the region and for the Jewish people worldwide.