(haipo) – The promise was kept: The IDF is closing a circle today and fulfilling the commitment of our brave soldiers, our best sons, who fought bravely and paid an unbearable price, with the goal of returning all 255 abductees to Israel, the living to their families, and the fallen to the graves of Israel, down to the last of them. This brings to an end a terrible chapter in the history of the State of Israel, a chapter that began on October 7 and ended today with the return of the body of the late Ran Gawili, the last abductee and fallen.
We are done and we will not finish: The chapter of the kidnappings in Gaza, one of the most horrific and painful in the history of the State of Israel, is over. The State of Israel can now turn its attention to the follow-up issues related to the October 7 war, which has not yet ended: the campaign against Iran and the settlement of the future of the Gaza Strip in such a way that the murderers living there will no longer endanger the citizens of Israel.
IDF spokesman's announcement
All of the abductees were returned from the Gaza Strip to the territory of the State of Israel.
The IDF Spokesperson announces that today, 8th of Shvat 5775, January 26, 2026, all of the living and deceased abductees were returned from the Gaza Strip to the territory of the State of Israel.
After 843 days of fighting in all sectors, the IDF informed the family of the late Yasm fighter, Major Ran Gueili, that their loved one had been identified and returned to the territory of the State of Israel. This completed the return of all the living and deceased abductees from the Gaza Strip to the territory of the State of Israel.
The terrorist organization Hamas has held captive for years four Israelis, civilians Avraham Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, and IDF soldiers, Lieutenant Hadar Goldin and Sergeant Oron Shaul, who died while fighting in Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
On the morning of Simchat Torah, 22nd Tishrei 5774, October 7, 2023, the IDF failed in its primary mission – protecting the citizens of the State of Israel. Terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip infiltrated the country's territory and committed a murderous massacre, during which they murdered more than 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 civilians, soldiers, and foreign residents. From the October Sabbath, the IDF rose and recovered, faced with the moral obligation to return the kidnapped.
Throughout the war, IDF forces operated day and night, on the frontline and deep inside enemy territory, with real risk to life, uncompromising determination, and a deep commitment to the value of the sanctity of life, in order to create the conditions for the return of the kidnapped, both living and dead.
The return of all those abducted from the Gaza Strip to the territory of the State of Israel was made possible thanks to a continuous and integrated effort by the entire IDF, led by the Southern Command, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Military Intelligence Directorate, the Human Resources Directorate, the Operations Directorate, the Technology and Logistics Directorate, together with the Shin Bet and the Israel Police.
The status of the kidnapped, including the last kidnapped person, was borne out of more than two years of intense fighting and expresses the promise between the IDF and the citizens of the State of Israel - to leave no one behind.
The entire IDF bows its head and remembers the hundreds of civilians who were murdered, the 924 IDF soldiers who fell in battle and fought bravely and selflessly to achieve the goals of the war and the moral obligation to return the kidnapped, the members of the security forces who sacrificed their lives, the bereaved families who lost their most precious thing, and the approximately 20,000 combat casualties who were injured in body and mind in defense of the state.
The IDF has the responsibility and obligation to assimilate and implement the lessons of the October Seven and move forward for growth, out of full commitment to the security of the State of Israel and its citizens, and to ensure that the events of the October Seven never happen again.
Prime Minister's Office statement:
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has given us life and established us and brought us to this time.
The Israeli government has completed its moral and ethical mission to return home all the abductees, both alive and dead. All 255 abductees from the Gaza Strip have been returned and rescued to Israel – 168 of them alive, and 87 dead.
Our hearts go out to the dear Guili family and to all the families of the abducted martyrs and the bereaved families of the heavy campaign. We embrace the IDF wounded in body and soul and remember their sacrifice, heroism and dedication.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
"There are no more hostages in Gaza. The late Major Ran Gueili, a hero of Israel, has returned home."
Boys return to their borders and girls return to their borders. We completed the mission, as I promised, and we will also complete all the missions we set before us.
"I thank my colleagues in the government, the fighters of the IDF, the Shin Bet, the Mossad and all the security forces, the members of the Defense Intelligence Agency, President Trump and his team, who all worked with tireless dedication for this sacred mission."
"And there is hope after you, says the Lord, and the children shall return to their border" (Jeremiah, chapter 31, verse 16).