After 844 Days, Israelis to Turn Off Clock Marking Time Since Oct. 7 Attack

A clock in a Tel Aviv square that became a rallying point for Israelis demanding the release of hostages taken during the October 2023 Hamas attack will be turned off on Tuesday, 844 days after it began counting their captivity.

The shutdown follows the discovery in Gaza of the body of the last remaining hostage, which was announced by the Israeli military on Monday. Ran Gvili, 24, was an off-duty police officer recovering from an injury, who was killed fighting Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists who infiltrated Israel during the 2023 attack.

Gvili’s mother, Talik, speaking to reporters late on Monday, after her son’s body was recovered, thanked those who had supported the family during the 27 months since the 2023 attack.

“We have a closure. Rani returned home an Israeli hero, really, an Israeli hero and we’re the most proud of him in the world,” she said.

MOMENT OF NATIONAL HEALING

In Israel, the return of the last hostage has been anticipated as a moment of national healing. The Hamas attack, the bloodiest killing of Jews since the Holocaust, was widely seen as the most traumatic event in the country’s history.

It also completes a core aspect of the initial phase of President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war. The second stage, which Washington announced had started earlier this month, includes the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah border with Egypt.

Nour Daher, a 31-year-old Palestinian in Gaza, said that he was waiting for the border to reopen so he could seek medical treatment for a heart defect outside of the war-torn territory.

“I have the medical referral papers. I registered with the WHO [World Health Organization]. Now I’m waiting for my name to appear on their lists,” he said. “Last time I checked, they told me they were waiting for a country willing to take my case.”

“I am hopeful my problem will finally end,” said Daher, describing near-daily bouts of severe palpitations.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry said at least 20,000 patients and injured Palestinians required medication outside Gaza.

FAMILIES TO GATHER FOR TEL AVIV CEREMONY

Since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its attacks, thousands of Israelis had gathered almost every week in Tel Aviv at a place that came to be known as Hostages Square, calling for the release of all of the hostages in captivity.

Ran Gvili’s sister, Shira, along with former hostages and family members, is due to take part in a public ceremony at the Tel Aviv square on Tuesday as the clock is turned off, The Hostages and Families Forum, which rallied public support for those taken on Oct. 7 and their families, said.

Gvili was shot while defending Kibbutz Alumim, a community in Israel’s south near the border with Gaza. He was taken to Gaza by militants from another Palestinian terrorist group that joined the Hamas attack, Islamic Jihad, according to Israeli officials.

Handing over all the remaining living and dead hostages was a core commitment of the first phase of the deal, though other parts have not been fulfilled. It is not clear how the next stage will be implemented, which includes the reconstruction and demilitarization of Gaza. The Israeli military remains in control of 53% of Gaza, with Hamas in control of the rest.