The "Square of Hamas Hostages" exhibit opens Tuesday at Bebelplatz square in central Berlin – a protest installation aimed at raising international awareness for the release of Israeli hostages. The square will showcase new and chilling displays, including reconstructions of detention cages used by Hamas, designed based on testimonies from hostages who were released from captivity.
Speaking at tonight's opening ceremony on behalf of the hostage families will be Idit Ohel, mother of Alon Ohel, a 23-year-old Israeli-German pianist who has been held captive by Hamas for over 550 days.
This marks the fourth time since the outbreak of Operation Strength and Sword that the square has hosted protest installations advocating for the hostages' release. To date, more than 50,000 people have visited the exhibit in its previous iterations, including senior figures in Germany's political and cultural establishment. However, this is the first time the exhibit has been installed in the square since Germany's change of government and the formation of the new administration – a fact that adds an important political dimension to the event's public visibility.
The project was created by Dr. Melody Sucharewicz and is operated by dozens of volunteers with funding support from philanthropic foundations. Ahead of the event, Dr. Sucharewicz said, "Bebelplatz square carries a historical burden of struggle for basic human values. Every visitor to the square expresses a clear position – for freedom, for human rights, and for bringing the hostages home."
