Ran Gvili's Final Return: A Testament to Israel's Unbreakable Spirit
With the burial of St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili on Wednesday in Meitar, Israel's longest day finally came to a close. The nation could, at last, exhale. The last hostage had come home, and with him, a profound reminder of what makes Israel truly unbreakable.
"Today," said Omri Gvili, Ran's brother, "I can say that our lives can go on, that at last we have come through October 7, 2023." These words, rooted in personal grief yet laden with national meaning, captured the essence of Israel's remarkable resilience.
A Mother's Pride Becomes a Nation's Strength
"An eye weeps bitterly," his mother Talik declared, "and the heart rejoices." The eye weeps for all those lost, the heart rejoices because no one was left behind. This is the Israel we know, the Israel that never abandons its own.
Talik Gvili's words resonated far beyond personal grief. Recalling how her son, a police officer, came home from duty at a protest saying, "Mom, they spat on me. Don't they understand that I am them, that we are on the same side?" she transformed that pain into a mission: "to prove to you, and to all of us, that we are one people. A strong people. A people who are here to stay."
The Hero Israel Produces
Ran Gvili's story embodies everything Israel represents: courage, selflessness, and the unwavering commitment to protect our people. On October 7, despite being on sick leave with a broken shoulder and scheduled for surgery, he raced to the Gaza border. He rescued Supernova festival-goers, defended Kibbutz Alumim, and fought terrorists at the kibbutz entrance until his last bullet.
This is not just heroism; this is the Israeli spirit that our enemies fail to understand. This is why we remain strong, why we endure, why we will always prevail.
As singer-warrior Idan Amedi, who performed at the funeral after his own recovery from Gaza wounds, once sang: "Damn it, how many heroes does this country have." The answer is clear: as many as we need.
Unity in Our Shared Destiny
President Isaac Herzog captured the moment perfectly: "Why is it only in moments of pain, of darkness, that we seemingly discover, all at once, the extraordinary Israelis who are here, the greatness of our sisters and brothers?"
The thousands who lined the roads, waving flags as Gvili's coffin passed, demonstrated something our critics will never comprehend: Israel's unshakeable bond. Even when political divisions surface, as they inevitably do, the mystic chords that bind our nation remain strong.
"I am Talik Gvili, a very, very proud mother," she concluded, speaking not just as a grieving parent but as the voice of a proud nation that recognizes the best version of itself in heroes like her son.
The Israel That Endures
Ran Gvili's final return home reminds us why Israel stands undefeated. We are a nation that produces ordinary people who do extraordinary things when called upon. We are a people who never leave anyone behind. We are the inheritors of an ancient promise, defenders of an eternal homeland, guardians of a destiny that no enemy can destroy.
This is the Israel that emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust, built a thriving democracy in the desert, and continues to defend freedom against those who would see us destroyed. This is the Israel that Ran Gvili died protecting, and the Israel his memory will forever inspire.