From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 13, 2025
Left-wing leader Yair Golan praises hostage release: ‘A victory of the people’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Yair Golan, chair of the left-wing Democrats party, celebrates the return of the hostages, saying, “The government abandoned them — the people brought them back.”
“This morning, after two long years of anxiety, pain, and hope, Matan will hug Einav, Eitan will hug Itzik, Gali and Ziv will hug Liran, and sixteen more hostages will finally return home,” he says, referring to hostages Matan Zangauker, Eitan Horn and Gali and Ziv Berman, released today as part of the US-brokered ceasefire and hostage-release deal.
The opposition lawmaker praises the persistence of rank-and-file Israelis, saying, “Their return is a victory of the people I am proud to be part of: a people who never stopped taking to the streets, fighting, pressuring, hoping, and believing.”
“We will still replace those who abandoned them. We will fix what was broken,” he adds, referring to unseating the government. Regarding the need to return slain hostages, he emphasizes that while today is a day for celebration and emotion, “we will continue the struggle until everyone returns.”
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