Washington, DC – Following the return of Ran Gvili, the last remaining Israeli hostage in Gaza, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami issued the following statement:
“We are so relieved this morning by the return of Ran Gvili’s remains to Israel, completing the return of all the hostages.
This is a historic moment for the state of Israel. Nothing can erase the pain that so many in Israel have suffered since October 7th, but our hope with the return of the final hostage is that this national nightmare can finally begin to end.
For Gvili’s family, his return means they can finally lay him to rest and begin to mourn. For the Israeli public, we hope this allows them to begin healing from the still-open wound of October 7.
We deeply admire the Gvili family – and all hostage families – who fought tirelessly under unimaginable circumstances to bring their loved ones home.
Going forward, the US and other mediators must push ahead with implementing phase two, beginning with fully reopening the Rafah crossing and surging desperately needed aid and reconstruction assistance into Gaza. Israel and Hamas must engage in good faith in the full implementation of the plan.
There can be no more excuses.
Most importantly, now is the time to double down on the ultimate goals of the 20-point plan: disarming Hamas, empowering moderate Palestinian leadership, Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and progress toward regional peace – all of which are necessary to ensure the trauma and bloodshed of October 7 and the war that followed are never repeated.”