From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 26, 2026
Police, IDF chiefs speak with family of Ran Gvili after his body is located in Gaza
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Police Commissioner Daniel Levy and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir spoke with the family of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili after the slain police officer’s remains were located in Gaza City earlier today.
Levy updated Gvili’s father, Itzik Gvili, on the details of the recovery and “extended a warm embrace to him and his family on behalf of the officers and warriors in the Israel Police,” police say in a statement.
Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer, was killed defending Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel during the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza.
Levy stressed the “determination and bravery” evinced by Gvili, “an officer in the Yasam [counter-terror] unit who shielded Israeli civilians with his body, sacrificing his body and soul.”
A police convoy will escort Gvili’s remains to the Abu Kabir forensic institute later today, the statement adds.
Zamir speaks to Gvili’s family by phone as well.
“We are all deeply moved, embracing you, and thanking all the IDF soldiers who worked on this mission. I am very glad that we are bringing you this news, which brings a great deal of relief,” Zamir says.
“We have completed the mission of returning all the hostages, both the living and the fallen, and upheld the very significant IDF value of leaving no one behind,” he says.
Talik Gvili, the slain police officer’s mother, says that the news is “a relief, after these two and a half years, even though we hoped for a different ending.”
The Times of Israel Community.