Ran Gvili's sister, Shira, weeps by his coffin at his funeral in Meitar on January 28, 2026 (Flash90)Flash90
Police officers salute the coffin of Ran Gvili at his funeral in Meitar on January 28, 2026 (YouTube/GPO)[Missing Credit]
He was identified by his fingerprint after more than 250 corpses had been examined.
Police officers and hundreds of civilians lined the streets as his funeral procession drove through his hometown of Meitar, near Beersheba.
The service was attended by President Herzog, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Police Commissioner Daniel Levy and Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef, along with a host of senior political and police figures, and was livestreamed globally.
Ran Gvili's father, Itzik, embraces Prime Minister Netanyahu at his son's funeral in Meitar on January 28, 2026 (YouTube/GPO)[Missing Credit]
President Herzog delivers a eulogy at Ran Gvili's funeral in Meitar on January 28, 2026 (YouTube/GPO)[Missing Credit]
Ran’s brother, Omri, was first to speak during the service, saying: “Today I can say that our lives can go on. I am so proud to be the one who grew up with you, raised you, and learned from you.
"We shared a friendship and love beyond anything, with incredible intensity.”
Likewise, in a tearful address to the gathered mourners, Ran’s sister, Shira, said: “When Mom came into my room two days after October 7 and said it would take time for him to return, I didn't believe it would be 843 days – days in which pain and fear were an inseparable part of our daily lives.
The occasion marked the first funeral of any of the Gaza hostages attended by the prime minister, and both he and Herzog delivered eulogies in Ran’s memory.
Ran Gvili's brother, Omri, eulogises him at his funeral in Meitar on January 28, 2026 (YouTube/GPO)[Missing Credit]
Prime Minister Netanyahu, Knesset speakers Amir Ohana and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sit with Ran Gvili's family at the late hostage's funeral in Meitar on January 28, 2026 (YouTube/GPO)[Missing Credit]
In his remarks, Herzog apologised to the family on behalf of the nation, saying: “I'm sorry we were not there for him. I am sorry that, along with so many other families, you had to wait so many long, agonising days for the return of your loved one.
"Without hesitation and without asking, again and again, [Ran] said 'Here I am' and went into the line of fire to protect us.
"Like the thousands here and the tens of thousands across the country, “I can only regret that I never had the chance to know him in life, to embrace him in life.”
Ran Gvili's father, Itzik, meets Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef at his son's funeral in Meitar on January 28, 2026 (YouTube/GPO)[Missing Credit]
Ran Gvili's father, Itzik, embraces Police Commissioner Daniel Levy at his son's funeral in Meitar on January 28, 2026 (YouTube/GPO)[Missing Credit]
And Netanyahu said of Ran: “He refused to stand aside; he put on his uniform; he armed himself.
"He considered his injured shoulder meaningless because he believed with all his heart and strength that the security of the state rested on him and the shoulders of his comrades.
"He saved lives – many, many lives."
The prime minister also announced that the government would establish a new town, named Renanim, in the area to honour the fallen hostage.
