Israel turns off the clock after 844 days of operation

After a clock placed in a Tel Aviv square turned into a focal point for the gathering of Israelis demanding the release of hostages who were taken to the Gaza Strip during the attack led by Hamas in October 2023, it was decided to turn it off today, Tuesday, after 844 days of operation to calculate the time the hostages were held.

This comes in the wake of the Israeli army’s announcement on Monday that it had recovered the remains of the last hostages from Gaza. The remains belong to Ran Gvili, an off-duty policeman who was recovering from an injury, and who was 24 years old when he died in combat during the 2023 attack.

The recovery of the remains also completes one of the most important provisions of the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza. The second phase, which Washington announced at the beginning of this month, includes reopening the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Since October 7, 2023, thousands of Israelis have been gathering almost weekly in Tel Aviv in a square later known as Hostage Square, demanding the release of all detained hostages.