Former Labor MK Yael Dayan dies at 85

Former Labor Party MK Yael Dayan dies at the age of 85 after a prolonged battle with lung disease, Hebrew media report.

Dayan, daughter of famed former defense minister and IDF chief of staff Moshe Dayan, served as a Labor MK from 1993 until 2003.

She was later a representative of the dovish Meretz party on the Tel Aviv city council.

Former Meretz MK Mossi Raz hailed Dayan as a pioneer in the fight for LGBTQ rights and feminism in Israel, noting her legislation outlawing sexual harassment, and her work as a peace activist.

“We lost an important partner,” he tweeted.

Dayan had for decades suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by prolonged smoking.

In a 2022 interview, Dayan described her poor health and said: “There are days and hours where I cannot speak in a coherent way at all, but really I suffer mostly from boredom because most of the time I’m alone.”