The funeral of the last Israeli hostage recovered from Gaza is set to take place in his hometown of Meitar.
Ran Gvili, an 24-year-old off-duty police officer, was killed fighting militants during the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
His body was taken back into Gaza by the Islamic Jihad militant group, Israeli officials say.
He was among about 250 people abducted during the attack, which killed around 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and set off the war in Gaza in which Palestinians health authorities say Israel kill more than 71,000 people.
Many of the hostages were released during two short ceasefires, but dozens died in captivity. Under the terms of an October deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas and other groups agreed to return the remaining hostages, alive or dead, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Mr Gvili, who was the last to be released, will be buried in Meitar in southern Israel. His casket will be driven there in a procession beginning in Camp Shura, a facility where Israel has identified victims of the October 2023 attack.
Hundreds of mourners including families and children slowly filled the space, where a large screen projected the funeral procession and police officers and uniformed soldiers sat in plastic chairs.
Some attendees carried Israeli flags and some wore the yellow ribbon that has come to symbolise Israel's hostage ordeal for more than two years.
Mr Gvili, an officer in the elite Yassam unit, was on medical leave ahead of shoulder surgery when Hamas launched its deadly attack in southern Israel, but grabbed his gun and raced towards the area.
Nicknamed the "Defender of Alumim" by his family and the kibbutz of that name, he was killed in combat and Hamas militants took his body to Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog were expected to deliver eulogies at the funeral.
Mr Netanyahu said yesterday that Israel had "fully completed the sacred mission of returning all of our hostages".
"Ran was the first to charge, and Ran was the last to return," he said during a televised press conference.
"Many generations will draw inspiration from Ran Gvili, a hero of Israel, and from all our other heroes... This is the generation of heroism. This is the generation of victory."
The return of the last hostage and his burial will mark a moment of national healing for Israelis.
It also completes a core aspect of the initial phase of Mr Trump's plan to end the war. The second stage, which the US announced had started earlier this month, includes the reopening of Gaza's Rafah border with Egypt.
