In grassroots initiative, Israelis clean Oct. 7 memorial, reframe photos of those killed

Dozens of Israelis helped clean and renovate the makeshift memorial for the victims of the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, at Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square on Tuesday, to mark two years since the invasion that sparked the Gaza war.

Shortly after the shock attack in 2023, Israelis began decorating the square’s iconic fountain with toys and pictures of people murdered or abducted during the carnage, and soldiers killed fighting in the ensuing conflict.

At 10:00 a.m., dozens gathered at the square in central Tel Aviv to hold a vigil and observe what organizers called a “civilian moment of silence.”

Ahead of the grim anniversary, activist Adi Israeli cleaned the area and printed new, rain-proof pictures of the roughly 2,000 victims.

Writing on Facebook on Monday, Israeli asked the public to help her cover the costs and called on people to join her at the square on Tuesday and bring picture frames of all sizes.

Footage showed people on their knees in the grassroots initiative, scrubbing the pavement and putting fresh pictures of the victims in new frames.

כיכר דיזנגוף –
מתנדבים רבים מסייעים בהקמת אנדרטה עם תמונותיהם של 1997 הנופלים מאז 7/10/2023.

קרדיט: ליזי שאנן, Lizzy Shaanan pic.twitter.com/7nkBFKd3X7

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— צדיק בסדום (@SdomsRighteous) October 7, 2025

“We took a mission upon ourselves — to turn Dizengoff Square and the fountain into a memorial site that is worthy and respectful to the fallen, their families and friends, and anyone who wants to come honor the good people we lost in the October 7 failure and the Swords of Iron war,” Israeli said.

“This place is a symbol of Tel Aviv,” she told Channel 12. “There is a contrast of life and death here. There is a combination of the beauty of the square and what surrounds it, the people who sit and drink coffee and beer, but also remembering the fallen men and women who can no longer do this.”

Israeli said the crowdfunding initiative raised more money than necessary, and that the surplus would be donated “to the rehabilitation of the hostages when they return.”

Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 48 hostages, including 47 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists in the October 7 onslaught, and the remains of a soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.

The 48 hostages include the bodies of at least 26 confirmed dead by the IDF. Twenty are believed to be alive, and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others, Israeli officials have said.