The Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced on Monday that it was officially terminating its operations in light of the return from Gaza of the last deceased hostage, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili.
The body of the 24-year-old volunteer in the elite Israel Police Yasam Special Patrol Unit was held in the Strip for 843 days before it was brought back for burial in Israel, closing the chapter on the 251 individuals abducted into Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, and four others taken before the war.
The Israeli NGO said it had “completed its mission: 255 hostages were brought home. Of these, 87 were returned for burial, while others returned to begin their journey of rehabilitation.
“Day 843 marked the first day since 2014 when there were no hostages in Gaza,” it added, referring to IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin and Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, who were killed in action in Gaza in 2014, and Israeli civilians Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who were released alive on Feb. 22.
The Hostages Forum thanked the Jewish Diaspora for carrying the hostage families “through their darkest hours. Jewish federations across America and communities around the world stood with the Israeli people in ways that were both unprecedented and deeply personal. From Boston to New York, from Florida to Los Angeles, from London to Sydney, from Paris to Melbourne, the support in building and sustaining the forum became essential to its mission, bringing hope and strength when it was needed most.”
The Diaspora’s dedication to the forum’s mission “reflected the truest sense of family: unwavering, present and rooted in shared responsibility and love. Through their constant presence, they kept faith alive in the goodness of humanity … [proving] that the Jewish people, wherever they live, are truly one,” the forum said.
Its statement ended by quoting a famous line from the Talmud, “He who saves a life, saves an entire world.”
On Dec. 31, the forum announced that it was ending its activities in its current form by closing its offices at 3 Leonardo da Vinci Street in Tel Aviv, marking 817 days since “that cursed Saturday.”
Captivity survivor Eitan Horn arrived at the group’s offices before they closed doors and thanked Check Point founder Gil Shwed for allowing the workers, volunteers and hostages’ families to occupy the building for more than two years.
The Israeli group launched its operation the day after thousands of terrorists from Gaza invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, butchering roughly 1,200 and kidnapping hundreds into the Strip.
