AI video features murdered Israeli hostage Ran Gvili pleading for President Trump to free him

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum released an AI-generated video on Tuesday featuring the late Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage still held in Gaza, in which he is seen pleading with U.S. President Donald Trump to secure his release.

Gvili presented himself in the AI-generated video as “the son of Talik and Isik” and recalled how he was kidnapped while fighting against Hamas terrorists at Kibbutz Alumim on Oct. 7, 2023.

“I am the last hostage still held in Gaza,” Gvili says in the video.

“Mr. President, finish what you started. Bring me home before it’s too late.”

Hamas and other terrorists from Gaza kidnapped 251 Israelis and foreign nationals from southern Israeli communities that border the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023. All the hostages have been returned alive or deceased, except for Gvili.

Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili cannot plead with President Trump to bring him home from the tunnels in Gaza. 24-year-old Rani was shot in battle while defending Kibbutz Alumim, after saving people from the Nova Music Festival. With AI technology, we can only imagine what this hero… pic.twitter.com/K0mXA06Kd5

— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) December 23, 2025

Gvili’s mother Tali said it was difficult to watch the AI video of her late son.

“Seeing and hearing Rani speak in his own voice is moving and painful at the same time,” she explained. “All that’s left for me is to plead that they do not move to phase 2 of the agreement before bringing Rani home, because we do not leave heroes behind,” she stressed, referring to the IDF policy of taking measures to rescue Israeli citizens.

Israel recently pressured the ceasefire mediators to instruct Hamas to resume the search for Gvili’s remains. Israeli officials believe that some members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) know the whereabouts of his remains.

The U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire stipulates that Hamas must release all living and deceased hostages before the deal can move on to the second phase. Following pressure from Israel, Hamas gradually released all living and deceased hostages except Gvili.

Last month, Gvili’s father, Itzik, said he fears that Hamas could potentially hold on to his son’s body for years.

“We pray of course that he will not be another Ron Arad or [Hadar] Goldin,” Itzik told Israel's Kan News. “That we don’t drag it out for many more years.”

The reference was to Ron Arad, an Israeli Air Force navigator who went missing in action in Lebanon in 1986, and to IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, who was killed during the Gaza war in 2014. Hamas held Goldin’s body for 11 years and only returned it to Israel last month.

Gvili’s father believes that Hamas is trying to deceive Israel concerning his late son.

“Hamas says they’re looking for his body, but we don’t see any progress,” Itzik said, adding, “They probably know where he is. They are playing games and deceiving us.”

While this might be true, Israeli officials have acknowledged that Hamas appears to be looking for Gvili’s remains and has asked for special equipment to complete the search task.

Meanwhile, President Trump has reportedly signaled growing impatience and wants to move on to the second phase of the ceasefire soon.