From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 17, 2025
Mothers with strollers protest in Hostages Square amid nationwide strike
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Hostages Square in Tel Aviv is steadily filling with people carrying signs and wearing yellow ribbons on the morning of a nationwide strike called by the families of the captives in Gaza, demanding their release and an end to the war.
In the heart of the square, rows of empty strollers are arranged in the plaza, a haunting exhibition symbolizing the children killed in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack. Attached to many of them are bright yellow signs reading “A mother never gives up.”
Under a large shaded canopy, dozens of mothers sit with their babies and young children, gathering in quiet solidarity. Strollers line the space alongside other exhibitions filled with photos of the hostages.
“I want them to come back and the war to end, and we won’t stop until they do,” says Dana, who has come with her baby and a group of other mothers.
The mothers’ protest is part of a series of demonstrations held in the square during today’s strike.
The Times of Israel Community.