‘Finish what you started’: Deceased hostage Ran Gvili's AI message to President Trump
The Israeli hostage family's plea illustrates the urgency in securing the return of the remains of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza
The Hostage Families Forum published an AI-generated message addressed to US President Donald Trump presented as the words of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage whose body is believed to still be held in Gaza. The personal plea calls on Trump to “finish what you started” by securing his return.
The message comes amid ongoing efforts to finalize the next phase of the US-brokered plan and bring closure to his family by allowing him proper burial in his home country.
In his message, AI-generated Gvili introduced himself as the son of Talik and Itzik Gvili and recounted how, despite being injured and awaiting surgery, he left home on October 7 to help save others. According to his words, “I stood almost alone against dozens of terrorists in Alumim. I managed to eliminate many of them, but eventually I was taken hostage.”
The generated Gvili said he remains “the last hostage still held in Gaza,” framing his situation as both a personal tragedy and a national issue. His appeal to Trump thanked the US president for supporting a ceasefire deal that resulted in the release of many Israeli hostages and stressed his belief in the importance of completing that work. “Thank you for standing with us and for making a courageous agreement that brought so many of my brothers and sisters home,” he said.
He continued with a poignant request: “Mr. President, I’m asking you to see this through: Please bring me home. My family deserves this. I deserve the right to be buried with honor in the land I fought for.”
Gvili’s plea to Trump concludes with a sense of urgency and vulnerability: “Finish what you started. Bring me home before it’s too late.” As discussions continue in Miami and Cairo among international mediators, Israeli leaders and family members maintain pressure on Hamas and diplomatic partners to achieve that goal and bring closure to this prolonged chapter of the ongoing conflict.
Support for bringing Gvili home has extended internationally, including digital billboard campaigns in New York’s Times Square calling attention to Gvili’s case. Officials involved in ceasefire negotiations have indicated that the return of Ran Gvili’s remains is a critical milestone before moving into Phase Two of the US-brokered ceasefire plan, which includes steps toward disarmament and future governance arrangements in Gaza.