From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 12, 2025
Ex-hostage Tal Shoham thanks Trump ‘for making the impossible possible’
Rossella Tercatin is The Times of Israel's archaeology and religions reporter.
Former hostage Tal Shoham expresses his gratitude to US President Donald Trump for brokering the deal between Israel and Hamas to release all the hostages held in Gaza by Palestinian terror groups.
“Thanks to President Trump for making the impossible possible,” Shoham says over Zoom, sitting next to Ilan Dalal, the father of hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who is set to be released tomorrow.
Shoham was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri with his wife, Adi Shoham, their daughter, Yahel, 3, and son, Naveh, 8, as well as his mother-in-law, Shoshan Haran, his wife’s aunt Sharon Avigdori, and the latter’s daughter Noam, 12. The women and children were released in November 2023.
Afterward, Shoham spent most of his captivity with Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David, who is also set to be released tomorrow.
“I feel hope and excitement, but I also try to block them within me, so I won’t break if it does not happen,” Shoham says.
The press conference is organized by Amplify, an organization that describes its mission as “strengthening Israel in the global fight against extremism.”
The Times of Israel Community.