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In an emotional ceremony on January 27, 2026, in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, the digital clock that was counting the days that the hostages taken into Gaza remained in captivity, paused, counted down, and then went dark.
The clock ran for 843 days, 12 hours, and 6 minutes, reported The Times of Israel. It ran for more than two years and served as a reminder that for the families of the 251 hostages and for most of the country, that time stopped on October 7, 2023, when the Hamas attack and massacre occurred. There were already four additional hostages being held in Gaza.
With the return of the body of the final hostage, police master sergeant Ran Gvili the day before, it was time to stop the clock. It was finally October 8. It was finally a time to heal.
An Emotional Ending
With the return of Gvili there were no more hostages being held in Gaza since 2014. He was killed fighting infiltrating terrorists who were trying to enter Kibbutz Alumim, after saving people fleeing the Nova Festival, reported The Jerusalem Post.
Gvili, who was buried today in his hometown of Meitar that is in the Negev, was still recovering from a broken shoulder and didn’t have to go but he went to help his fellow officers. His body was taken into Gaza. When he was not rescued or released as part of the cease fire deals, many people believed he would never be found.
His sister Shira addressed the crowd at Hostage Square and expressed relief that her brother was finally found, according to The Times of Israel. She said, “On October 7, our clock stopped… Now we can really stop the clock. Now, I can say that Rani is here with us – Rani is home.”
Michel Illouz, the father of Guy Illouz who was killed in captivity took the stage next. He spoke about the symbolism of the day and said, “even though I knew that my Guy was no longer with us, I fought all this time for the living hostages.”
He explained that Hostage Square was a place of refuge for the families of hostages and the support he received there gave him comfort.
Beginning to Heal
The return of the last hostage was met with emotional joy tinged by sorrow. Politicians from the coalition and the opposition voiced their support for Gvili’s rescue and the end of hostages being held in Gaza.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a press conference: “We promised to bring everyone back, and we have brought everyone back, down to the very last one. Rani, Israel’s hero, was the first to enter and the last to come out.”
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Israelis are finally able to remove the symbols that stood for solidarity for the hostages and their families, reported The Times of Israel. President Issac Herzog posted a video of himself removing his yellow ribbon pin. Posters are being removed and empty seats are being put away, and yellow ribbons are being removed from cars and public spaces.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was murdered in captivity announced that they would remove the masking tape numbers they have been wearing counting the days since October 7.
Now that the clock has stopped counting, the country can begin to recover. Not to forget but not to relive October 7 every day. It’s time to start healing and have hope for the future.
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