Israeli forces brought home on Monday the remains of Ran Gvili, the last hostage held in Gaza, finally closing the chapter on a painful saga that has haunted Israeli society since Hamas¡¯ attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Militants took 251 hostages to Gaza that day, and the process of returning them dragged over the course of the ensuing war, playing out in a series of ceasefire and prisoner-swap deals as well as efforts to rescue them militarily ¡ª some successful, others not.

Gvili¡¯s coffin was accompanied by a convoy of cars with blaring sirens and flashing lights, passing civilians waving Israeli flags on the side of the road.