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Gal Hirsch

Government hostage point man Gal Hirsch attends the funeral of Staff Sgt. Daniel Oz at the military cemetery in Kfar Saba, November 6, 2025. (Tal Gal/ Flash90)
April 6, 2026, 8:51 pm
Ex-captives slam choice of hostage point man Gal Hirsch to light Independence Day torch
Calling the pick ‘a slap in the face,’ former hostages and their families lash out at Hirsch, who they demanded resign in February for saying the hostage protests benefited Hamas
By Jessica Steinberg and ToI Staff
People stand on US and Israel flags, outside the US Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, February 1, 2026, during a protest in support of the Iranian government. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
February 3, 2026, 2:53 pm
Daily Briefing Feb. 3 – What’s on the table for US-Iran nuclear talks in Turkey?
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman on a first day of crossings from Gaza into Egypt, the likelihood of a US offensive operation against Iran, and an interview with Gal Hirsch
By Amanda Borschel-Dan and Lazar Berman
Gal Hirsch, the government's point man on missing and kidnapped citizens, speaks with Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, as he arrives for a meeting with families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas, in Herzliya, December 5, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
February 2, 2026, 11:17 am
Full text of letter from ex-hostages and relatives demanding Gal Hirsch resign
Former captives, family members sign letter after government’s hostage point man said in a series of interviews that mass protests on behalf of the hostages aided Hamas
By Jessica Steinberg
Gal Hirsch, coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing in the Prime Minister's Office, attends a National Security Committee meeting at the Knesset on November 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
February 1, 2026, 11:37 pm
Ex-hostages demand Gal Hirsch quit after ‘despicable comments’ that protests helped Hamas
Letter accuses government hostage point man of ‘blackmailing us not to speak out against’ Netanyahu and of using his role to seek place on Likud party slate ahead of election
By ToI Staff
Government hostage point man Gal Hirsch speaks to The Times of Israel from his Bnei Brak headquarters, January 30, 2026. (Prime Minister's Office)
February 1, 2026, 4:34 pm
PM’s hostage czar Gal Hirsch says Biden pressure ‘screwed up’ deal talks, protests aided Hamas
Netanyahu ally who headed up effort tells Times of Israel that Sinwar wanted to stretch talks out for 10 years — and killing him was key to finally clinching the agreement that brought everyone home
By Lazar Berman
Government hostage pointman Gal Hirsch speaks at a press conference in Jerusalem on January 27, 2026. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at right. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)
February 1, 2026, 11:23 am
‘Shame on you’: Former hostage, families hit back at government’s captives point man
Freed captive Or Levy and others lash Gal Hirsch, who led official campaign for hostages’ return, after he said weekly protests assisted Hamas, created unnecessary ‘urgency’
By ToI Staff and Lazar Berman
Hamas operatives and Egyptian workers, accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), head to the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City to search for the remains of Ran Gvili, December 8, 2025. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)
December 10, 2025, 2:24 pm
Israel said to believe ‘someone in Islamic Jihad knows’ where Ran Gvili’s body is
Hostage point man reportedly shares photos and other information on location of final slain captive’s remains in Gaza, rejects terror group’s claim it returned all its hostages
By ToI Staff and Reuters
The coffin of Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak, seen at a farewell ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport, December 9, 2025, after his body was returned to Israel from Gaza. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
December 9, 2025, 5:13 pm
‘One of ours’: Officials bid farewell to Sudthisak Rinthalak as his body flown home
Israeli and Thai ambassadors pay tribute to agricultural worker who was killed on Oct. 7 and whose body was taken to Gaza, as his remains are finally returned home to Thailand
By Jessica Steinberg
Relatives of hostages held in Gaza speak to the media after a meeting with Gal Hirsch, the government pointman on hostages, in Bnei Brak, November 3, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
November 3, 2025, 11:47 pm
Families of deceased hostages still in Gaza demand Netanyahu ‘look us in the eye’
Relatives urge PM to meet them, reassert commitment to bring back all 8 remaining bodies; Elad Or to ToI: ‘If this deal breaks, we’ll be like Hadar Goldin’
By Jessica Steinberg, Michael Horovitz and Jacob Magid
A member of the Nepalese army pays his respects to Bipin Joshi, a Nepali man who was taken hostage by Hamas, during a memorial procession at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, October 20, 2025. (AP/Niranjan Shrestha)
October 20, 2025, 5:38 pm
‘A son of Nepal’: Body of Bipin Joshi, slain in Gaza captivity, finally arrives home
‘Bipin’s courage and bravery are a matter of pride for every Nepali,’ prime minister says on airport tarmac, two years after agricultural student was kidnapped from border kibbutz
By Agencies and ToI Staff
Mourners surround the coffin of slain hostage Bipin Joshi, before the repatriation of his body to Nepal, at Ben Gurion Airport, on October 19, 2025. (FADEL SENNA / AFP)
October 19, 2025, 2:02 pm
Slain hostage Bipin Joshi praised for October 7 heroism as his body flown to Nepal
Joshi, 23, deflected grenade in shelter, tried to save friends before he was abducted from Kibbutz Alumim; government’s hostage point man: ‘I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have ended this way’
By Nava Freiberg and ToI Staff
A Red Cross vehicle arrives at the site where Hamas operatives work on searching for bodies of the hostages in an area in Hamad City, Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
October 18, 2025, 2:53 am
Remains of apparent hostage to be ID’d after Israeli troops retrieve casket from Gaza
Hamas insists it ‘will return the bodies and adhere to the agreement as promised’ amid Israeli accusations of foot-dragging; Witkoff to visit region to discuss ceasefire’s implementation
By Emanuel Fabian, Jacob Magid and ToI Staff
Bulldozers deployed by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Municipality clear building rubble from main axes and streets in Gaza City, amid a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian terror group, on October 14, 2025. (AFP)
October 17, 2025, 9:37 am
Team enters Gaza to search for hostages’ bodies, as Israel vows to ramp up pressure
Hamas claims it can’t access any more remains without additional equipment, but Jerusalem says that’s a lie; PM talks to Trump amid impasse, with 19 hostage bodies still in Strip
By Lazar Berman, Jacob Magid, Nurit Yohanan and ToI Staff
People attend a rally for the hostages in Gaza, at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on October 11, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
October 12, 2025, 4:10 am
Release of hostages set for Monday; families told locating all dead bodies could be hard
According to report, Israeli official says some uncertainty remains, and release could begin Sunday night; Witkoff warns families that locating all bodies of dead hostages’ bodies may be difficult
By Lazar Berman, Nava Freiberg and Agencies
Operatives belonging to Hamas's internal security apparatus, tasked with maintaining order within the Strip, seen in the streets of Gaza following the announcement of a ceasefire hostage-release deal, October 10, 2025. (Screen capture: Telegram, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
October 10, 2025, 11:02 pm
Hamas gunmen spotted on Gaza streets, in limited show of force as ceasefire sets in
Some Gazan officials thank Trump for deal, invitee him to visit; Jerusalem prepares to receive living, dead hostages, believes Hamas might release them before Monday deadline
By Nurit Yohanan, Emanuel Fabian and Lazar Berman
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