This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Since the 7 October 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 Israel-Hamas war calling for the release of the hostages. 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 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.
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. Posters of those kidnapped from the kibbutz are hung in the tents as well. An electronic screen was installed as well that counts down the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds it has been since the 7 October attacks.
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. A meter mock Hamas tunnel was erected simulating a claustrophobic, dimly lit passage through which attendees can walk; the names of the hostages, messages from families to their captured loved ones and marks counting the days since they were abducted.
