By Michal Yaakov Itzaki and Rami Amichay
MEITAR, Israel, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The mother of the last hostage in Gaza says Israel will not heal until he or his remains are brought home, and that the next phase of a peace plan should not proceed until he is back.
Police officer Ran Gvili was one of 251 hostages seized and taken to Gaza by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israeli authorities say they believe he is dead, but his body has not been recovered
and his family is clinging to the faint hope that he is still alive.
"We're at the last stretch and we have to be strong, for Rani, for us, and for Israel. Without Rani, our country can't heal," his mother, Talik Gvili, told Reuters.
'WE WANT TO FEEL HIM'
Posters of Ran Gvili, known by family and friends as Rani, line the streets of Meitar, his hometown in southern Israel.
When Hamas attacked, he was recovering at home from a broken collarbone. He quickly put on his uniform and joined the fight against the Hamas gunmen around Kibbutz Alumim near Gaza.
Gvili, who was 24 at the time, was badly wounded and Israeli authorities said he did not survive for long after being taken to Gaza, his mother said.
"We want to feel him, we want to feel some tiny doubt (that he died)," his mother said, before adding: "It might just be wishful thinking."
SEARCH FOR GVILI IN GAZA
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October, under which violence has subsided but not entirely stopped in Gaza after two years of war precipitated by the militant group's attack.
The U.S.-backed ceasefire deal included a commitment by Hamas to release all remaining hostages in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners held in Israel, and the bodies of 360 deceased Palestinians.
At the time of the deal, 48 hostages remained in Gaza, 28 of them believed dead. Only Gvili is now still in Gaza.
Once all hostages are returned, the ceasefire agreement is meant to move on to its next phase, tackling issues such as the future governance and rebuilding of Gaza, although each side has accused the other of violating the truce agreement.
But with much of Gaza left in ruins by the offensive which Israel launched in response to the Hamas attack - and which Gaza health authorities say has also killed more than 70,000 Palestinians - finding Gvili's remains is taking time.
Asked about the possibility that Israel might proceed with talks on Gaza before he is returned, his mother said: "No way. We won't let that happen."
'WE'RE NOT ALONE'
The hostages' plight gave birth to a grassroots movement dedicated to their return. Posters showing their faces were placed on highways, bus stops, skyscrapers, shops and homes across Israel, and people gathered weekly at the Tel Aviv plaza that became known as Hostages Square to demand their return.
"We're not alone," Talik Gvili said, adding that she felt support and solidarity from across the political spectrum.
She describes her son as a strong and kind-hearted person who would look out for those weaker than him.
"We're happy everyone has returned, except for Rani, we have become one big family so every hostage who returned brought relief, closure. But somebody had to be last, and it looks like that was our fate," she said.
"But that was his thing, to make sure everyone else was okay first."
(Writing by Maayan Lubell, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
