Israel's Hostage Square takes new shape as one last body left in Gaza
Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, the epicenter of demonstrations for the release of the hostages, is evolving with the long-suffering movement that created it.
Tel Aviv residents watched with mixed emotions on Tuesday as trucks began removing some of the installations that have turned Hostage Square into the symbolic heart of Israel’s hostage vigil since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
Over the past two years, the square outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art has become a gathering point for demonstrators calling for the hostages’ release. Weekly Saturday night rallies continued there without interruption until Dec. 1, 2025.
Of the 251 hostages taken to Gaza in the attack, Ran Gvili's body is the last still held there. All others, living and dead, have been returned through various exchange deals with Hamas.
The square also became a space where Israelis came to connect with and show support for the families of the hostages.
