Hostages Square

Hostages Square () is a public plaza located in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Since the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, families of the hostages taken during the attack have encamped in the square, due to its proximity to the Israel Defense Forces headquarters. In addition, it has been the site of rallies and protests during the Gaza war calling for the release of the hostages.

History

The square, located on a public plaza located in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, received its current name following the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, when families of the hostages and their supporters started to encamp and gather there, given its proximity to the Israel Defense Forces headquarters.

On November 3, 2023, a temporary "tent city" was set up in the square on behalf of the families of the kidnapped and missing. These tents were set up at the site by kibbutzim in the western Negev, family members of the victims of the Nova music festival massacre, the Bnei Akiva movement, and by "Ayelet Hashachar", which belongs to the .

The CEO of the Tel Aviv Museum has called the square a "direct and open line between the general public and the museum" due to the different art installations in the square and the displays in the museum. The square also hosts kiosks selling T-shirts, umbrellas and hoodies with the Bring Them Home Now logo, tents set up for gatherings and discussions and small stages for speeches and presentations. Some tents have representatives of the kibbutz which were attacked and hostages taken from, with surviving members of the kibbutz manning the tents to speak with visitors and press. Posters of those kidnapped from the kibbutz are hung in the tents as well.

An electronic screen was installed as well that counts the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds it has been since the 7 October attacks.

Art installations

The square features art installations and banners highlighting the plight of the hostages and calling for their release.

Some pieces were created for events that were to take place after the October 7 attacks, like the large metal and wood female face sculpture by Nitzan Peled and Gidi Galor. The incomplete sculpture had survived the attack on the Be'eri kibbutz and was moved to Arugot to be completed before being installed at the square.

One of the art pieces is an empty Shabbat dinner table that held an empty seat for each of the missing hostages. It was the first art piece that was created and placed in the square.

In January 2024, A 25-meter mock Hamas tunnel was erected in the square, which has a narrow and dimly lit passage that attendees and walk through. Inside the tunnel, there are loudspeakers that repeat the names of the hostages and messages from their families to their captured loved ones. The sounds of distant gunfire is also played to simulate the dire conditions of the hostages.

Other art pieces include the installation, where yellow signifies solidarity with the hostages and their families. There is also an installation of mirrors around a pre-war art installation created by Menashe Kadishman.

A Tree of Wishes was installed in the square with cards or tags that were decorated and written on by Jewish school children around the world. The tags were created in connection with the UnitEd program of the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism and included 650 schools worldwide.

Rallies

The square has been the site of weekly rallies held by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum since the hostages were taken, with antigovernmental rallies held nearby since about early 2024.

On 12 November 2023, Arab-Israeli newscaster Lucy Aharish led a rally with over 1,000 women in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv calling for the release of the more than 100 women among the hostages taken by Hamas during the attack and the sexual violence committed on October 7. Speakers such as Cochav Elkayam-Levy, model Linor Abargil, newscaster , athlete Yarden Gerbi, and singer Rita also called out the silence of 268 women's organizations over the sexual violence and the status of the hostages.

On 24 November, a large scale Shabbat service was held at the square in response to the hostage release that day. Those in attendance included cabinet minister Benny Gantz. The next day, some 100,000 people rallied at Hostages Square to mark "50 Days of Hell" since the Hamas assault and hostage-taking. In early December 2023 thousands of people gathered at the square to demand the return of the hostages that were taken. In attendance and some of the speakers were prior hostages that had been returned to Israel as part of the temporary cease fire and exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinians that occurred in the end of November.

On the evening of 13 January 2024, an estimated 120,000 people attended the beginning of a 24-hour rally in the square to mark 100 days since the October 7th attacks in southern Israel. Speakers included relatives of the approximately 132 hostages still in Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron, US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew, former president of the Israeli Supreme Court Dorit Beinisch, Nobel Prize laureate Aaron Ciechanover and Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau. Family members warned that time was running out to save their relatives, and expressed frustration with the government for not doing enough to save them. Despite heavy rain, fifty artists also performed throughout the night and publicly spoke to demand the release of the hostages. These included Sarit Hadad, , Ran Danker, Ehud Banai, Jasmin Moallem, , Zehava Ben and .

On 23 March during Purim, a of the Book of Esther was held in the square, led by the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization and Rabbi Kenneth Brander, the Rosh yeshiva of the Ohr Torah Stone. Shai Gabso also performed during the event.

On 30 March, after a rally in the square family members of hostages left the square and marched towards the Kirya with anti-government protestors from the Kaplan protest joining the marchers. Israeli police declared the march to be illegal and it reportedly became violent with family members microphones being turned off at Begin Bridge.

In January 2025, the square was used to stream live transmissions of released hostages being turned over to the IDF during the 2025 ceasefire and prisoner exchange. Pictures of those released were hung throughout the square. During the first release of the ceasefire, roughly 2,000 people watched the release of the hostages on large screens, with yellow balloons released into the air once the hostages were confirmed to be back in Israel.

On 30 January, 2025, US Special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff visited Hostages Square and met with released hostages and family members of the remaining hostages.

On 10 February, 2025, an event was held at the square to commemorate the 24th birthday of , which was his second birthday while in captivity in Gaza. During the event, his family members called for his release, and Ivri Lider performed a song for the family.

On 28 May, 2025, thousands of protesters gathered at the square to mark 600 days of war and hostage crisis. The rally included speeches from Lior Ashkenazi, released hostages recounting their stories while in captivity, and families of remaining hostages calling for their release.

On 31 May during Shavuot, Israelis held rallies nationwide to demand a ceasefire and hostage release deal amidst diplomatic efforts from the United States to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. This included a rally at the square hosted by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, where former hostages and family members of remaining hostages addressed the crowd and called for the return of all hostages.

Gallery

References

External links

{{Squares in Tel Aviv
Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
Squares in Tel Aviv
2023 establishments in Israel
National squares