Mother of Last Gaza Hostage Clings to Fading Hope

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed for Washington to meet US President Donald Trump, Talik Gvili carried with her a hope she admits is almost impossible to sustain. Her son, Ran Gvili, remains the last Israeli hostage in Gaza.

In an interview with Maariv published Friday, Gvili described living between realism and belief. “We know the chances are so small, so minuscule,” she said. “But we fight for this belief because it’s what keeps us going.”

Israeli intelligence assessments suggest Ran, a police officer and former Golani Brigade soldier, was severely wounded during the October 7 Hamas attack at Kibbutz Alumim. He was reportedly shot in the hand and shoulder and did not receive medical treatment.

Authorities believe he did not survive. Yet his family refuses to accept this as final. “There’s no conclusive picture proving his death,” Gvili said. “We want to believe he lost consciousness, was taken to Gaza, treated, and is still alive.”

Ran’s story, his mother says, is defined by resilience. Before joining the police, he enlisted in the IDF’s Golani Brigade, determined to serve in a combat role. That path was nearly cut short during basic training.

Gvili fractured his femur in a serious injury that required surgery. Doctors told his parents he would never return to combat duty. “And we were happy,” Talik recalled. “We thought, now he’ll move to a desk job, and we’ll finally sleep at night.”

But when Ran woke up and understood the extent of his injuries, his reaction stunned everyone. According to his mother, he told the doctor bluntly that he would return to combat within four months.

He kept his word. Ran attacked rehabilitation relentlessly, training from morning until night. After being discharged, he demanded physiotherapy equipment at home and continued pushing himself without pause.

Four months later, he returned to the doctor’s office and received approval to rejoin his unit. Two months after that, he completed a 60-kilometer march on foot. “My Rani had immense mental and emotional strength,” his mother said.

That strength, she explained, is what sustains the family now. “So I rely on that even today,” she added, even as intelligence assessments grow darker.

The pain intensified during hostage deals that promised closure. When releases were announced without names, hope surged briefly before collapsing again. “Each crash was more painful than the last,” Gvili said.

The family describes the last two years as living on “autopilot,” believing that someone had to be last. “That’s how we lost the lottery,” she said quietly.

One challenge, she explained, was the lack of information. Ran was abducted alone, away from other hostages, leaving little intelligence about his whereabouts. “No one really knew where Ran was being held,” she said.

That uncertainty has fueled another fear: being forgotten. Gvili recalled the long struggles of the families of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, whose bodies were held in Gaza for years. “I’m afraid that the citizens of this country will let go,” she said.

Still, she acknowledged the public support her family continues to receive. “I hear the voices, feel the wide embrace we’re receiving from all corners of the country,” she said.

The family only learned of Ran’s abduction weeks after October 7. For days, they searched hospitals and emergency centers, hoping to find him among the wounded. Two weeks later, officials confirmed he was being held in Gaza.

Despite everything, Gvili finds strength in imagining her son’s choice. “If he could choose, he would do exactly what he did on October 7 again,” she said. “Even knowing how it might end.”

Asked who bears responsibility for the failures of that day, she did not hesitate. “Everyone,” she said, calling for a full commission of inquiry into the actions of the Shin Bet and the military.

As Israel’s leaders seek final answers abroad, Talik Gvili remains at home, holding onto what she calls “0.0001% hope.” For her, letting go is not an option.