World
Hostage czar position left empty as term ends; PM’s office says aiming to renew contract
The tenure of Gal Hirsch as the government’s hostage pointman has ended without a replacement being appointed, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Thursday in a statement, saying it is working to renew its contractual arrangement with him.
Hirsch began his tenure on October 8, 2023, a day after terrorists took 251 Israelis and foreign nationals captive in the Hamas-led onslaught in southern Israel. The invasion and massacre triggered what was by far Israel’s largest hostage crisis, which did not end for more than two years. Dozens of captives were killed during the onslaught or in captivity in Gaza.
Throughout his service, Hirsch faced sharp criticism from former hostages and family members of captives, who criticized his conduct toward them. After he spoke out in early 2025 against public protests for a hostage deal, suggesting that such demonstrations emboldened Hamas, six former hostages and over 70 relatives of hostages called for his resignation.
But now, the circumstances of his departure have raised concerns that the position being left vacant will harm Israel’s ability to advance the release of any Israelis taken hostage, detained, or missing.
Despite Hirsch’s tenure ending on June 6, “the operational and national need for the continued work and responsibilities of the Coordinator for Hostages and the Missing remains unchanged, and its importance is unequivocal,” the PMO said.
The PMO does not say how many Israelis remain hostage, but few cases are publicly known. They include three Israelis captured during the Israel Defense Forces’ invasion of Lebanon in 1982, including airman Ron Arad, whose burial locations remain unknown.
According to a Wednesday report from Haaretz, Hirsch was also involved in securing the release of Israelis arrested in Lebanon, Jordan, and South America. Elizabeth Tsurkov, a dual Russian-Israeli national held captive for two and a half years until 2025 by the Kataib Hezbollah terrorist group in Iraq, also thanked Hirsch upon her release.
“This field requires professional continuity, leadership of Israel’s POW and MIA missions, preservation of the expertise and institutional knowledge that has been accumulated, preparedness for emergencies, and the continued management of complex coordination efforts with all relevant bodies in Israel and abroad. Accordingly, the office is working to advance a renewed engagement arrangement to ensure functional continuity and provide the best possible response to the ongoing missions related to prisoners of war and missing persons,” the PMO statement added.
Hirsch established the government framework responsible for overseeing hostage recovery efforts and managing relations with the Gaza hostages’ families, and was also involved in securing the release of Israeli detainees in Jordan, Lebanon, and South America. His tenure was extended twice, in February of last year and March of this year, before expiring this past weekend.
In April, he was honored by being chosen to light one of the torches at the annual Independence Day ceremony, though his selection also drew criticism from some hostages’ families.
