Thousands of Israelis gathered early Monday at a plaza in Tel Aviv nicknamed Hostages Square that has been a focal point for rallies for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, and a gathering place for their families and supporters during two years of war.
Hours before dawn, the tree-lined concrete plaza started to fill with people anxiously anticipating the release of the 20 remaining hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first stage of a cease-fire deal. They held Israeli flags and posters with the names and faces of the captives.
The 200-by-300-foot plaza in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art became the focal point for demonstrations after a sit-in outside Israel’s military headquarters, a block away, in the weeks after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, swelled and needed to be moved.
The plaza has hosted art installations about the hostages’ plight, including a long rectangular table set for 234 people that is surrounded by empty chairs to represent the captives. After some of the hostages came home, parts of the table were set with moldy bread and bottles of dirty water, to correspond to the conditions of captivity they described.
There have also been dance lessons, yoga classes and impromptu singalongs held in honor of the captives, as well as commemorations for missed birthdays.
For relatives of the captives, the plaza became a sort of home, and a place to find company in other people who could understand what they were experiencing. Many set up tents in the plaza, and a steady stream of Israelis and tourists visited to show support.
During an earlier cease-fire in February, families of the captives and their supporters went to the plaza each week to watch live broadcasts of hostage releases.
On Saturday night, it was where hundreds of thousands of people celebrated the announcement of a new cease-fire deal and a possible end to the war.
Ephrat Livni and Roni Caryn Rabin contributed reporting.
Yan Zhuang is a Times reporter in Seoul who covers breaking news.
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