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The last hostage recovered from Gaza, Ran Gvili, died fighting to save a kibbutz
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Two women embrace next to a banner with a photo of Ran Gvili after the announcement that the hostage, whose remains were the last to be recovered from Gaza, had been identified, in a plaza known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. - photo by AP Photo/Oded Balilty
JERUSALEM (AP) — The announcement that the remains of the last hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili, were recovered Monday ended a painful saga that had transfixed Israel for two and a half years and stalled its ceasefire agreement with Hamas. There was an outpouring of emotion in Israel after the recovery of the body of the 24-year-old police officer, who was killed while fighting militants during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war in Gaza. Beyond Israel, many hoped the ceasefire could move into its second phase.