20240516_zia_p185_021
May 16, 2024, Berlin, Germany: On May 16, 2024, Bebelplatz, a historic square in Berlin's Mitte district, became the symbolic ''Platz der Hamas-Geiseln'' (Hostage Square) in a poignant ceremony aimed at raising awareness about the 132 individuals still held captive by Hamas following the October 7, 2023, terror attacks. This transformation of Bebelplatz, once notorious for the Nazi book burnings of 1933, into a memorial for Israeli hostages underscores Berlin's solidarity with the victims and their families. The event featured 132 empty chairs, each representing a missing hostage, including men, women, and children. The installations included a 20-meter-long reconstruction of a Hamas tunnel, providing a harrowing glimpse into the conditions faced by the hostages. A three-meter-tall sand timer with red sand symbolized the situation's urgency, with inscriptions urging, ''Time is running out'' and ''Bring Them Home. (Credit Image: © Michael Kuenne/PRESSCOV/Zuma Press/Fotoarena Wire)
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