Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 13, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 13, 2025
Crowds cheer hostage release in packed Tel Aviv square
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLuke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
People holding portraits of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza wait for their release at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv early on October 13, 2025 (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
A crowd of tens of thousands in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square cheers uproariously as an event organizer announces, “The hostages are in the hands of the IDF.”
There is no official announcement from the army yet that it has received the hostages.
The crowd, many hugging, singing and waving flags, is watching a giant screen showing live news on the release, applauding whenever positive developments are reported.
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