In late post marking anniversary of release of all living hostages, PM fumbles message with claim that slain came home too

By Lazar Berman

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Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Chairs with a portrait of Ran Gvili, the last hostage held in Gaza, the day after his remains were brought home by Israeli forces, in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on January 27, 2026. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

A day after the anniversary of the release of the last 20 living hostages from Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mistakenly claims that yesterday marked “one year since the release of all our hostages, the living and the fallen alike.”

The remains of 28 dead hostages were returned over the subsequent weeks in late 2025 and early 2026, with the final body, that of Master Sgt, Rav Gvili, found by IDF troops on January 26, 2026.

“Many did not believe we would achieve this goal, which seemed impossible—but we believed,” he writes on X. “And with the heroism of our soldiers and their resourcefulness, we achieved the goal.”

“We brought them all back home.”