On Oct. 7, 2023, Gvili was supposed to be resting while awaiting surgery for a broken shoulder. However, as the emergency unfolded, Gvili, who was a police officer in a counter-terror unit, chose to fight to save others in need. He fought alongside fellow officers and was eventually killed near Kibbutz Alumim. His body was taken into Gaza, where it has been held for nearly 790 days.
"When this nightmare began, there were 255 hostages. Their families became one big family. We held each other through every unbearable moment. Every time someone returned, there was a feeling that part of us came back. And now we're down to the last two in the darkness of Gaza. I'm terrified that after bringing so many home, my Ran will be left behind. There's this crushing feeling I can't shake: when is our turn?" Gvili's mother, Talik, wrote in a Fox News op-ed.
Rinthalak, a 43-year-old Thai national, was working in agriculture in Israel to support his family in Thailand when he was killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and his body was taken into Gaza. His family told Israeli news outlet Ynet that he said he would be coming home for good once he saved a bit more money.
"About 10 days before October 7 was the last time we spoke," Rinthalak's mother, On, told Ynet. "We asked him to come home to Thailand for a visit. We hadn’t seen him in many years, ever since he went to Israel for work. He told us he wanted to save a bit more money and then come home for good. Then October 7 happened and he was murdered. I want my son home as soon as possible. I wait for him every day."
On Tuesday, Israel received remains that were tested and confirmed to not belong to either Gvili or Rinthalak, The Times of Israel reported. The outlet noted that a senior Red Cross official said the findings it handed over to the IDF included "small remains, pieces" of a body.