Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 13, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 13, 2025
Rapt crowd tracks hostage release in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square as seven freed captives return to Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLuke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
Thousands gather at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to celebrate the return of hostages from Gaza, October 13, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Tens of thousands track the hostage release in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.
“We waited for them for two years and now it’s happening,” an emcee tells the crowd.
The audience watches news developments on screens set up around the square and applauds at each development.
Men and women cry as Silvia Cunio describes her first phone call with her sons after their release, lifting their sunglasses to wipe away tears.
The emcee reminds the crowd of the dead hostages still held in captivity in the Strip, and of their families pain.
“We’re here until the last hostage,” she says.
The crowd applauds at news that US President Donald Trump has landed in Israel.
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