Israel buries the body of the last hostage recovered from Gaza and declares the hostage file closed.

Tel Aviv, Israel – Israel on Wednesday laid to rest the last hostage whose remains were recovered from the Gaza Strip, in a state and public funeral attended by hundreds of mourners in the southern Israeli town of Meitar. Israeli officials described the event as marking the end of a “painful” chapter in the country’s history.

The hostage was police officer Ran Gafili, who was killed off-duty during a clash with militants during a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2013. According to Israeli officials, his body was taken to the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad after his death.

The funeral procession departed from Camp Shura, the site used by Israeli authorities to identify those killed in the October attack. Police officers and civilians lined the route, waving Israeli flags. Gafili was then buried in his hometown. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the funeral, said that Gafni’s burial “turns the page on the painful reality of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, both living and dead.” He also considered the return of the last hostage a moment of national healing for Israel.

For his part, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that the entire nation mourns Gafni, who was 24 years old when he was killed. He indicated that this moment could open the door to “gradual recovery and healing” after one of the most difficult periods in the country’s history.

Gafni was the last of approximately 250 hostages abducted during the October 7th offensive. According to Israeli figures, the offensive resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people. In contrast, health authorities in Gaza say that Israeli military operations have killed more than 71,000 Palestinians since the start of the war.

The return of Gafni’s remains completes the first phase of the US-backed plan to end the war in Gaza. The plan included the return of all hostages, dead or alive, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. The next phase would involve political and security steps, including the reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.