It used to be a large public garden popular with unemployed Gazans during the day and promenading families in the evenings.
[3] Prior to Israel's occupation of Gaza in 1967, the center of the site bore a statue pointing north to the rest of Palestine commemorating the soldier.
It was pulled down by Israeli authorities and until the 1990s, Soldier's Square was a patch of sand with a white plinth (remnant of the statue) in the center.
[4] A public garden was later developed at the site with financial help from Norway,[1] along with a coffeehouse serving visitors to the square.
[4] On January 19, 2023, Palestinians gathered in the square to celebrate the release of Maher Younis, a freedom fighter who was imprisoned by Israel for 40 years for being part of the then banned Fatah movement and killing an Israeli soldier.