{"id":728,"date":"2026-01-31T12:13:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T17:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ptnews.org\/wpupdater2\/frontpage\/?p=728"},"modified":"2026-01-31T12:13:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T17:13:19","slug":"israels-last-hostage-is-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ptnews.org\/wpupdater2\/frontpage\/2026\/01\/31\/israels-last-hostage-is-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel\u2019s Last Hostage is Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Just a few days ago, Israel completed a major milestone in its war with Hamas. Israel welcomed home the body of the last hostage in Gaza. Ran Gvili was an Israeli policeman on that fateful day when Hamas stormed the southern communities of Israel on October 7, 2023, and killed, raped, and took captive Israelis. Ran fought with the Hamas gunmen in his community before he was overwhelmed and killed. They took his dead body to Gaza and paraded his lifeless body before the cheering Muslim civilians who jubilantly welcomed their murderous heroes who had butchered innocent Israelis in the name of their god, Allah. Eventually, month\u2019s later Ran\u2019s body was buried in an unmarked grave in a Muslim cemetery in southern Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About four months ago, Israeli intelligence was able to extract enough information from one of the terrorists who knew where Ran was buried. Finally, Israel was able to search for his body. I read the reports about this recovery and I was deeply moved. What happened in Israel as they welcomed home Ran\u2019s body gives testimony to the soul of Israeli society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recovery and painstaking exhumation of Ran\u2019s body in the cold was a grueling accomplishment. They were able to confirm his identity with portable dental X-ray equipment. Ran\u2019s body was still wrapped in his Israeli police uniform. When they found his body, about 150 Israeli troops were present. These battle-hardened men wept as they sang religious songs and the Israeli national anthem. I saw the videos. I wept and was deeply moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As his coffin was transported into Israel, Israelis stood alongside the road in reverence and respect of this last brave hostage, whose remains were being returned to his family and nation. [See photo above.] It was a great moment for the nation. They had waited for 27 months for this moment when the last hostage, dead or alive, would be returned to Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What transpired in Israel a few weeks ago is a testimony to the nation of Jewish people whom God has called back home in these last days. God had given the ancient Jewish patriarchs His laws of morality, and through His written revelation taught the world about the value of every person who has been created in the image of God. I have been to Israel many times. I have witnessed what I am telling you. Perhaps no people on the face of the earth have any greater respect for the soul of a man than many of the Israelis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israelis not only exhibited the sacredness of the soul, but also the sacredness of the soil of the Jewish people \u2013 the Holy Land of Israel. Think of the efforts of the Israeli people to recover every hostage from Gaza. It made me think of the incredible rescue of Israelis who were being held hostage in Entebbe, Uganda in July, 1976. Israel has consistently demonstrated that they will pay the ultimate price to rescue one of their own, dead or alive, to return them home to Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bible gives testimony to the precious reality that God gave the Jews the Promised Land. There is something unique about the land of Israel and the Israelis that they world does not understand. God has married the souls of the Jewish people to their land (Isaiah 62:4-5)<\/a>. The soul attachment of the Jew to his land is like a spiritual glue that makes the land and the people \u201cone.\u201d The longing of the Jewish people for their land has endured for thousands of years. They have proved they are willing to die to live in the land that God gave to them 4,000 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This attachment is seen in the longing of many of the Jewish people as they wish for their remains to be buried in the soil of the Holy Land. They believe their burial in the Holy Land gives testimony to the hopes and promises God has given them. This was the desire of Jacob and Joseph (Genesis 49:28-33; 50:25<\/a>). Thousands of years have passed, but that has not erased the divine attachment of the Jewish soul and soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What just transpired in Israel with the recovery of Ran Gvili and his burial in Israel, is a living testimony to the work of God and His people, and His land. God is NOT done with His people or His land. While difficult days are ahead, God\u2019s plan for His people and His land will come to pass, just like the God of Israel has promised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long ago, the prophet Joel declared concerning the last days, \u201cThen will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. \u2026Fear not, O land and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things\u201d (Joel 2:18, 21<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current events around us tell us that the final days of God\u2019s story of redemption is just about here. Get ready for the shout that will take us out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just a few days ago, Israel completed a major milestone in its war with Hamas. Israel welcomed home the body of the last hostage in Gaza. Ran Gvili was an Israeli policeman on that fateful day when Hamas stormed the southern communities of Israel on October 7, 2023, and killed, raped, and took captive Israelis. … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Israel\u2019s Last Hostage is Home”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ptnews.org\/wpupdater2\/frontpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ptnews.org\/wpupdater2\/frontpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ptnews.org\/wpupdater2\/frontpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ptnews.org\/wpupdater2\/frontpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ptnews.org\/wpupdater2\/frontpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=728"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ptnews.org\/wpupdater2\/frontpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":731,"href":"https:\/\/ptnews.org\/wpupdater2\/frontpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728\/revisions\/731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ptnews.org\/wpupdater2\/frontpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ptnews.org\/wpupdater2\/frontpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ptnews.org\/wpupdater2\/frontpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}