Ran Gvili embodied heroism until his last moments. Despite awaiting shoulder surgery, which had him on disability from his job as a police officer in Israel, immediately following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, he rushed to defend and protect others during the assault, saving numerous lives. He was killed in action, and his body was kidnapped along with 250 others into Gaza. Last week, he became the last hostage to be brought out of Gaza after 843 excruciating days. That he rushed into action immediately, he has been described as “the first in and the last out.” Yet his return, something that many in Israel thought might be an impossibility, underscored Israel’s unwavering commitment to the principle of leaving no one behind—whether living or fallen.

His repatriation, codenamed “Operation Brave Heart,” marked a symbolic closing of one of the darkest chapters in modern Israel that began on that brutal day. It was the end of a mission accepted by hundreds of thousands of Israeli soldiers, to free all the hostages: Israelis, foreign nationals from over two dozen countries, Jews and non-Jews alike.

The operation itself was a masterpiece of military precision and moral resolve. Colonel Golan Vach, commander of the IDF’s elite Pladot unit, led the effort. A seasoned combat veteran and search-and-rescue expert inside Israel, leading Israel’s rescue operations following many international disasters ranging from Florida to Haiti, Nepal, the Philippines, Turkey, and more. Col. Vach was severely injured in a 2024 Gaza tunnel collapse. In a recent conversation, he describes his near-death experience as a personal miracle: buried under tons of earth, an excavator (operated by one of his own men) struck his helmet, but created an air pocket that saved him. He shared how, while in the moment, he thought he was going to die, and after being saved, he initially planned to retire. But he........

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