Zamir: Return of Ran Gvili’s body marks end of one of IDF’s ‘principal missions’

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir joins troops in Gaza City for a ceremony honoring slain hostage Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, after his body was recovered in Gaza City, on January 26, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir joins troops in Gaza City for a ceremony honoring slain hostage Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, after his body was recovered in Gaza City, on January 26, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the military has completed one of its principal missions in the Gaza Strip with the return of slain policeman Master Sgt. Ran Gvili.

“For more than two years, we have been waiting for this moment, the return of the last hostage,” Zamir says during a visit to eastern Gaza City today, after Gvili’s body was located at a cemetery.

“The body of Ran Gvili has been found, and with this, in effect, one of our principal missions has come to an end: the return of all the hostages, the living and the fallen, to their homes, to their country, to their families,” he says.

“We have completed a war objective. The campaign continues ahead of us; we will continue to pursue our enemies wherever they may be,” Zamir adds.

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