A clock in a Tel Aviv square that became a rallying point for Israelis demanding the release of hostages taken during the October 2023 Hamas attack will be turned off on Tuesday, 844 days after it began counting their captivity.
The shutdown follows the discovery in Gaza of the body of the last remaining hostage, which was announced by the Israeli military on Monday. Ran Gvili, 24, was an off duty police officer recovering from an injury, who was killed fighting militants that had infiltrated Israel during the 2023 attack.
Gvili’s mother, Talik, speaking to reporters late on Monday, after her son’s body was recovered, thanked those who had supported the family during the 27 months since the 2023 attack.
“We have a closure. Rani returned home an Israeli hero, really, an Israeli hero and we’re the most proud of him in the world,” she said.
In Israel, the return of the last hostage has been anticipated as a moment of national healing. The Hamas attack, the bloodiest killing of Jews since the Holocaust, was widely seen as the most traumatic event in the country’s history.
It also completes a core aspect of the initial phase of President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war.
The second stage, which Washington announced had started earlier this month, includes the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah border with Egypt.
Nour Daher, a 31-year-old Palestinian in Gaza, said that he was waiting for the border to reopen so he could seek medical treatment for a heart defect outside of the war-torn territory.
“I have the medical referral papers. I registered with the World Health Organistion.
Now I’m waiting for my name to appear on their lists,” he said. “Last time I checked, they told me they were waiting for a country willing to take my case.”
“I am hopeful my problem will finally end,” said Daher, describing near-daily bouts of severe palpitations.
Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its attacks, thousands of Israelis had gathered almost every week in Tel Aviv at a place that came to be known as Hostages Square, calling for the release of all of the hostages in captivity.
–Reuters–
