‘Ran, Hero of Israel, He Went In First and Came Out Last’

The recovery from Gaza City of the body of Sergeant First Class Ran Gvili means that for the first time since 2014 there are no Israeli hostages being held at Gaza. The details of Operation Brave Hart are still emerging, but they appear to be extraordinary. So are the images of the Israel Defense Forces singing Hatikvah after their fallen comrade was located. The yellow pins and banners that have festooned Israel since October 7, 2023, can finally be put away.The return of the hostages is a triumph for Israel and a vindication of its values. Credit is owed first to the heroes of the IDF, active duty and reservists. Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump are both owed — and claim — thanks. The return of Gvili’s body is also a moment to recall the brutality of Hamas, who in addition to murdering some 1,200 people on October 7 also took some 252 captive, ranging in age from nine months to 86 years.On that morning in October, Gvili, whom Mr. Netanyahu lauded as “Ran, hero of Israel, he went in first and came out last” — was off duty and suffering from a broken shoulder sustained in a motorcycle accident. Nevertheless, he reported for battle at the Gates of Kibbutz Alumim, and died defending that community 843 days ago. Bringing him home can only be bittersweet for his family and for the entire nation of Israel.Gvili’s return clears the way for the onset of the second phase of the ceasefire brokered by Mr. Trump, who in October secured the release of the 20 remaining living hostages held by Hamas and their allies. This second phase is intended to include the opening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, which Mr. Netanyah says will now reopen to foot traffic in a manner of days after Gvili was recovered. The thorniest issue remains — the disarmament of Hamas. Mr. Trump has plenty of notions about the future of the battered enclave. His son-in-law, Jared Kushner, shared some of them at Davos last week in a presentation devoted to the “New Gaza.” Mr. Kushner explained that “There is no Plan B.” Hamas begs to differ, declaring in a statement after Davos that “Our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass.” The real question is who will disarm the hands of Hamas of their guns and rockets?The only credible answer to that question is the same body that has brought Hamas to its current state and inflicted grievous wounds on Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran — the IDF. Try telling that to some of the newly minted members of Mr. Trump’s Board of Peace, which includes Qatar and Turkey. Those are two of Hamas’s major benefactors abroad. Meanwhile, Mr. Netanyahu has in the past called the Rafah crossing “Hamas’s lifeline.”Mr. Trump said at Davos that America is “committed to ensuring Gaza is demilitarized, properly governed, and beautifully rebuilt.” That is a lofty vision, and Gaza has turned dreams into nightmares before. There appears little chance that an international force can do what the IDF has done, at great risk. Now that the last hostage is out of Gaza, Hamas is bereft of its macabre leverage. May Gvili’s return stiffen Israel’s resolve to eradicate those who took him.

‘Ran, Hero of Israel, He Went In First and Came Out Last’

‘Ran, Hero of Israel, He Went In First and Came Out Last’

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