‘First to volunteer last to return’
By Hezy Laing
Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, age 24, lived in Holon, Israel. On October 7th, 2023, he was actually on medical leave at a hospital, awaiting surgery for a broken shoulder. When he heard about the Hamas assault in the south, he left the hospital early that morning to join the fight.
Gvili, a Yasam counterterror officer, was recovering from a shoulder injury at a hospital on the morning of October 7, 2023. Despite being on medical leave, he could not remain idle when news of the Hamas onslaught reached him. He left the hospital that morning, determined to help civilians and fellow fighters in the south.
Ran first drove to his parents house in Meitar where he met his family in their bomb shelter. His brother Izik recounts what happened next, “At first we thought it the rockets were Arab firecrackers,” Itzik says. “Rani was looking at his phone, when suddenly he left the shelter. We thought he had gone to the bathroom, but then he came back wearing his uniform. We didn’t understand what he was doing. Rani said he wouldn’t let his friends fight alone, and that despite the fracture, he could hold a gun. I’ll never forget his face. It was as if he said, ‘This is what I’ve been waiting for my whole life.’ I went out onto the balcony and waved goodbye to him. That was the last time I saw him.”
From Meitar Ran drove to the Beersheba police headquarters, and there he got into a Savannah van with six other fighters. They made their way to Gaza envelope area and stopped in Kibbutz Alumim after an IDF officer, Lt. Col. Guy Madar of the Bedouin Special Forces, flagged them down. Seconds later, a barrage of fire opened on them.
The Yasam fighters and the officer got into a battle with dozens of terrorists, when suddenly an Israeli vehicle with four terrorists inside passed them. Guy decided to chase them, and Ran joined him. When the terrorists fled, the two stopped at the gas station at Saad Junction, because they noticed survivors from the Nova Festival, and evacuated them. Ran’s image was captured on security cameras wearing a helmet, vest, and weapon. Witnesses recall him assisting evacuations, pulling people to safety, and directing survivors away from danger.
By mid‑morning, Gvili returned to Kibbutz Alumim, which was then under direct attack. He joined ad hoc defense efforts alongside soldiers, police, and civilians, engaging Hamas infiltrators in close‑quarters combat. His actions helped stabilize the kibbutz perimeter and protect residents during the chaotic multi‑front assault.
At one point they got back in their vehicle to do a perimeter check of the area when they were caught in a terrorist crossfire. Guy was shot in the ankle, and Rani took bullets in the hand and leg. They got out of their vehicle, and split up. Guy ran towards a water hydrant he saw in the field. Ran ran in another direction and took shelter near a eucalyptus tree. There he made himself a makeshift tourniquet. He informed his friends where the terrorists were coming from, took a picture of the injury and sent them a selfie. In the meantime, dozens of Hamas members arrived and surrounded him.”
“There is a video from the terrorists’ body cameras in which Rani is seen fighting them,” Itzik says quietly. “It is in the hands of the police, but they advised us not to watch it, because it is difficult. It shows Rani lying on the road wearing a YSM uniform, surrounded by terrorists.
The investigation into the incident and the findings in the field, which included 14 bodies of terrorists, revealed that Ran fought alone with great courage, and did not give up until he ran out of ammunition.
Tragically, Gvili was killed in the battle at Alumim. Hamas fighters abducted his body to Gaza, where it remains held as of late 2025.
Gvili’s story epitomizes the courage of Israeli responders on October 7: leaving safety to confront overwhelming danger, rescuing civilians, and fighting through injury until the end. His sacrifice is remembered not only for his battlefield valor but also for his devotion to protecting others, even when he himself was vulnerable.
