The Media Line: ‘We Need To Glorify People Who End Wars,’ Says Brother of Freed Hostage Yarden Roman  (VIDEO)

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‘We Need To Glorify People Who End Wars,’ Says Brother of Freed Hostage Yarden Roman  

By The Media Line Staff  

Standing in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Monday as the first group of Israelis prepared to return home, Gili Roman — whose sister, Yarden Roman, was freed from Hamas captivity in an earlier deal — described the moment as one filled with “joy, relief, and excitement” after two years of anguish.  

Roman told The Media Line that the atmosphere in Israel had transformed from grief to hope. “Something about this place, about this square, but also about Israel—it really was connected with agony and death and suffering,” he reflected. “Now you can connect it with joy and relief and excitement.”  

He described the morning as “a moment to be alive,” noting that families of current hostages were experiencing both nervous anticipation and cautious optimism as they waited for news of their loved ones. “There is a very great deal of anticipation,” he explained. “It’s nerve-wracking, but with a very positive direction. It’s very different from everything they’ve been going through the last two years.”  

While many families now have reassurance that their relatives will return, Roman said the waiting still comes with uncertainty. “They’re probably afraid for the state of their loved ones—what they’ve gone through,” he said, recalling the brutal conditions of captivity. “They’re waiting for the first hug, the first smile, the first touch. I don’t think they can imagine the level of exhilaration, how much their heart is going to expand again.”  

Roman, who became one of the leading voices for hostage families after his sister’s release, said the ordeal had changed how people breathe and live. “They didn’t breathe like we breathe,” he said quietly. “They’re breathing differently in the last two years. It’s going to change.”  

Asked what message he would share with President Donald Trump, who brokered the ceasefire and hostage release deal, Roman expressed deep gratitude. “I think that he needs to get most of the credit and the glory for this day,” he said. “We need to glorify people who end wars, not people who are starting wars. People who are able to end wars in a positive note, saving lives and showing a path forward.”  

Calling the agreement “a great achievement” and “a historical moment,” Roman said he believed President Trump had given both Israelis and Palestinians “a sense of security” and “a chance to say goodbye to Hamas.”  

(YouTube link: https://youtu.be/j7CcmEUhTmY?si=lW7E438KlAA-OSPJ)