A group of former hostages and their relatives call for the resignation of Gal Hirsch, the government hostage point man, after he said, in a series of interviews, that mass demonstrations on behalf of the hostages aided Hamas.
“For two years, Hirsch presented the families with a collection of lies and eye-rolling, threatening and blackmailing us not to speak out against the prime minister, while holding an official position and a position of power over us and our loved ones held captive by Hamas,” the letter, sent to to him this evening, reads, as quoted by Hebrew media outlets.
The letter is signed by six former hostages, including Arbel Yehud, Ada Sagi, Nili Margalit, Karina Englbert, and 72 relatives of hostages.
“His despicable comments against the struggle of families and against specific families are the continuation of the abuse by other means,” the letter reads.
The letter demands Hirsch resign “immediately” as head of the government’s hostages directorate, which he announced on Thursday is now pivoting to focus on rehabilitation for the hostages and their families.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 1, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
