Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
After 843 days and 12 hours, Israel stops counting: Hostages Square clock shut off in Tel Aviv
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleStav Levaton is a military reporter for The Times of Israel
The clock in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv stops counting on January 27, 2026, after the return of final hostage Ran Gvili. (Stav Levaton/Times of Israel)
Crowds gather at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square as the Hostages and Missing Families Forum holds a ceremony to stop the countdown clock that has marked every second Israeli hostages remained in Hamas captivity since the terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.
At 5:35 p.m., the clock — which has been counting the 843 days and 12 hours since 251 people were abducted into Gaza — is shut off in a symbolic moment of closure, following yesterday’s return of the last hostage held in the Strip, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili.
Speakers at the event include Gvili’s sister, Shira, as well as former hostage Segev Kalfon and relatives of other hostages and victims of the war.
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