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Hostages Square

Coordinates: 32°04′37″N 34°47′14″E / 32.0770°N 34.7871°E / 32.0770; 34.7871
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Hostages Square
כיכר החטופים
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LocationTel Aviv, Israel
Coordinates32°04′37″N 34°47′14″E / 32.0770°N 34.7871°E / 32.0770; 34.7871
StatusOpen

Hostages Square (Hebrew: כיכר החטופים, romanized: Kikar HaChatofim) 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.[1][2][3][4]

On November 3, 2023, a temporary "tent city" was set up in the square on behalf of the families of the kidnapped and missing.[5] 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 Wolfson Foundation [he].[6]

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.[7] 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.[8][9] 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.[10]

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.[10]

Art installations

Shabbat dinner table to represent hostages installed in Hostages Square

The square features art installations and banners highlighting the plight of the hostages and calling for their release.[11][12]

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.[12]

One of the art pieces is an empty Shabbat dinner table that held an empty seat for each of the missing hostages.[4] It was the very first art piece that was created and placed in the square.[9]

Entrance of the Kidnapped Tunnel performance art piece by Roni Levavi in collaboration with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum

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.[13][14]

Other art pieces include the Empty Yellow Chairs [he] installation, where yellow signifies solidarity with the hostages and their families. There is also an installation of mirrors around a pre-war art installation The Binding of Isaac [he] created by Menashe Kadishman.[15][16]

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.[10]

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.[17]

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 Linoy Bar-Geffen [he], 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.[18]

Ambassador Jack Lew Speaks at the 100 Days Memorial for hostages at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv in January 2024

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.[19] The next day, some 100,000 people rallied at Hostages Square to mark "50 Days of Hell" since the Hamas assault and hostage-taking.[20][21] 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.[22]

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.[23] 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.[24][13] These included Sarit Hadad, Itay Levi [he], Ran Danker, Ehud Banai, Jasmin Moallem, Ilai Boṭner [he], Zehava Ben and Amir Dadon [he].[23]

On 23 March during Purim, a reading [he] of the Book of Esther was held in the square, led by the Tzohar Rabbanical Organization and Rabbi Kenneth Brander, the Rosh yeshiva of the Ohr Torah Stone. Shai Gabso also performed during the event.[25]

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.[26]

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.[27][28]

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.[29]

On 10 February, 2025, an event was held at the square to commemorate the 24th birthday of Alon Ohel [he], 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.[30]

Poster of Traditional Jewish Prayer to Return Captives, seen in Hostages Square.
Our Heart is Captive in Gaza
Explanation of "The Tunnel" in Hostages Square

References

  1. ^ "'A warm hug from grandma': In Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, families contemplate the expected release of 50 hostages". The Forward. 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  2. ^ "'A nightmare, we're not living': Tens of thousands rally for hostages' return". The Times of Israel. 2023-11-12.
  3. ^ "Israel-Hamas war: In Tel Aviv's 'Hostage Square,' euphoria has given way to fear". Le Monde. 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  4. ^ a b Sabbagh, Dan; Sinmaz, Emine; Kierszenbaum, Quique (2023-11-24). "'It brings hope': in Tel Aviv plaza, cheers greet news of hostage release". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  5. ^ ""נישן באוהל עד שהם יחזרו": משפחות החטופים לא מאבדות תקווה" ["We'll sleep in a tent until they return": Families of the kidnapped do not lose hope] (in Hebrew). Ma'ariv. November 3, 2023. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023.
  6. ^ ""סמל עבור רבים": כך הפכה "כיכר החטופים" לחלק בלתי נפרד מסיפור המלחמה" ["A symbol for many": This is how "Kidnapped Square" became an integral part of the war story]. Ma'ariv. December 6, 2023. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "New exhibits at Hostage Square make Tel Aviv Museum a healing space". The Jerusalem Post. January 21, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  8. ^ Steinberg, Jessica (25 December 2023). "2 evocative exhibits go up in Tel Aviv museum, as battle for hostages is waged outside". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  9. ^ a b Steinberg, Jessica (12 January 2025). "Making hostages a centerpiece, a Tel Aviv museum becomes a showcase for wartime agility". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  10. ^ a b c Leichman, Abigail Klein (2024-03-07). "Bearing the pain of Hostage Square: Tales from the Heart". ISRAEL21c. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  11. ^ "Hostages' families find all the services they need in one Tel Aviv building". Jewish Insider. 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  12. ^ a b Monka, Basia (2024-10-09). "Three artists, three questions: One year since Oct. 7". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  13. ^ a b Steinberg, Jessica (2024-01-14). "'Enough!': 120,000 attend 24-hour rally for hostages' release after 100 days in Gaza". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  14. ^ ""100 ימים בגיהנום": עצרת בת"א ל-24 שעות, חברות ענק ישבתו מחר" ["100 Days in Hell": 24-hour rally in Tel Aviv, huge companies to strike tomorrow] (in Hebrew). Channel 13. January 13, 2024. Archived from the original on January 13, 2024.
  15. ^ "תל אביב התמלאה במיצבי אמנות כואבים ומצמררים. המדריך המלא" [Tel Aviv was filled with painful and chilling art installations. The complete guide]. TimeOut. November 3, 2023. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023.
  16. ^ "כך כיכר החטופים הפכה לתחנת חובה עבור כל מי שמבקר בישראל" [This is how Hatufim Square became a must-see stop for anyone visiting Israel]. Ynet. January 23, 2024. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024.
  17. ^ Lidor, Canaan (9 March 2024). "Former captive slams timing of anti-government protest at Hostages Square rally". The Times of Israel. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  18. ^ Steinberg, Jessica (2023-11-13). "Hand in hand, women demand global stand against Hamas crimes". Times of Israel. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  19. ^ "נרגשים מהשחרור הראשון ומצפים לבאים: צפו בתמונות המרגשות מכיכר החטופים" [Excited about the first release and looking forward to the next ones: Watch the moving photos from the Kidnappers' Square] (in Hebrew). Ma'ariv. November 24, 2023. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023.
  20. ^ "Tel Aviv rally for hostages draws 100,000 to mark '50 days of hell' since October 7". The Times of Israel. 2023-11-26.
  21. ^ "Hostage release rally draws an estimated 100,000 to center of Tel Aviv". The Jerusalem Post. 2023-11-25. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  22. ^ Rudoren, Jodi (2023-12-03). "'Overwhelmed with joy and sadness': Freed hostages speak publicly for first time at Tel Aviv rally". The Forward. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  23. ^ a b "136 ישראלים, כבר 100 ימים בשבי: רבבות בעצרת למען החטופים בת"א" [136 Israelis, 100 days in captivity: Tens of thousands rally for the kidnapped in Tel Aviv] (in Hebrew). Channel 13. January 13, 2024. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024.
  24. ^ Ciechanover, Yael (2024-01-14). "Israelis mark 100 since war, hostages taken". ynetnews. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  25. ^ ""שנזכה לשחרורם": אלפים השתתפו בקריאת מגילת אסתר בכיכר החטופים" ["May we deserve their release": Thousands participated in the reading of the Book of Esther at Hatufim Square] (in Hebrew). Ynet. March 23, 2024. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024.
  26. ^ Dvir, Noam (March 30, 2024). ""נשרוף את המדינה": אלפים צעדו לאחר פיצוץ העצרת בכיכר החטופים; שוטרים התעמתו עם מפגינים | צפו" ["We will burn the country": Thousands marched after the explosion at the rally in Hatufim Square; police clashed with protesters] (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  27. ^ "Emotions run high in Tel Aviv's 'Hostages Square'". www.msn.com. 1 February 2025. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  28. ^ Lehmann, Noam (19 January 2025). "Crowds erupt in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square as captives arrive back in Israel". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  29. ^ "Witkoff meets freed soldiers, ex-hostages, officials, stresses commitment to full deal". The Times of Israel. January 30, 2025.
  30. ^ "יום הולדת לאלון אהל בכיכר החטופים: "מנהיגים מכל העולם התקשרו, רק הממשלה שלנו לא"" [Alon Ohel's birthday at Hatufim Square: "Leaders from all over the world called, only our government didn't"]. Ynet. February 10, 2025. Archived from the original on March 8, 2025.

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