Near Tel Aviv, three buses exploded in a parking lot in a suspected attack that further rattled Israel after the return of the remains of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. A U.N. official called the taunting display during the handover "abhorrent and cruel.

As the sun rose in Tel Aviv on Monday (February 17), families of Israeli hostages waded out to sea to float a flag depicting an hourglass in the Israeli colors to mark 500 days of captivity for hostages seized by Hamas.

Israelis have marked 500 days of war in Gaza with protests demanding further progress on a ceasefire so all remaining hostages can be returned. People demonstrated in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Monday as less than two weeks remain in the ceasefire's current phase.

Holding up signs reading "sorry and welcome back" and "complete the ceasefire", hundreds of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv's "Hostages Square" on Saturday to watch Hamas release three Israeli hostages from Gaza.

See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs. ( JTA) — Thousands of Israelis flooded Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening, their grief echoing in silence and sobs in a ceremony marking the return of the bodies of four hostages earlier in the day.

The emaciated condition of the three men released last week horrified Israelis. A crowd that gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to watch video of the latest handover in Gaza reacted more positively.

People holding posters with photos of Israelis hostages Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami, gather at the so-called "hostages square" waiting for their release in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday, Feb.

Relatives and supporters of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip, block a freeway during a protest demanding their release from Hamas captivity as they mark 500 days of the Israel-Hamas war in Tel Aviv,

Hundreds of grieving Israelis gathered in the Tel Aviv plaza dubbed Hostages Square on Thursday, standing or sitting in silent mourning, after Hamas handed over the bodies of four hostages. The Palestinian militants had delivered the black coffins they said contained the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two young boys,

Israelis gather at 'Hostages Square' while waiting for the release in Gaza Strip of four hostages by Palestinian militants, in Tel Aviv, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

On Thursday, hundreds of Israelis stood across the road from the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, the sky shifting between rain and sun, while they paid their final respects to four hostages who,