At a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was “determined to return Ran for burial in Israel and will spare no effort to do so.”
He said he and his wife were in continuous contact with Gvili’s family and added: “We will bring him back just as we brought back 254 hostages.” Thousands of Israelis were preparing for weekend events calling for his return.
Gvili’s sister Shira recently described the family’s anguish, uncertainty and determination, saying: “Each day that passes and Rani does not come back makes us panic more. If he still has not returned, then where is he? Who knows what is happening to him?”
Security officials have said that everything possible is being done to locate him, but the family fears the chances are extremely slim. “With all the destruction left there, how can anything be found? It is like a needle in a haystack,” said Shira.
The Hostages and Missing Persons Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office said: “We pray for the swift return home of Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last hostage still held by Hamas.”
Meanwhile, Washington is reportedly preparing to announce a move to the second phase of the Gaza arrangement.
White House officials are planning an announcement before Christmas, according to Israel’s Channel 12. The next stage would include further withdrawals of Israeli forces from large areas of Gaza, the deployment of an international stabilisation force and the creation of a new administrative structure for the strip.
Additional reporting by JNS
