In an effort to cushion the effects of their daily stress, hundreds of Israelis held a mass pillow fight in Tel Aviv's central Rabin Square on Tuesday night, Israel Army Radio reported.
"The Pillow Fight Club" organised the fight to "improve the morale" of their tense countrymen.
A pamphlet issued by the club laid down clear rules, including using only soft pillows and forbidding pummelling anyone who was not armed with a a pillow "unless they request to be hit".
Participants appeared to take the event seriously, with one saying she tested her pillows on her little sister before deciding which one to take to the fight.
"Particularly in these days with so much violence and many people feeling the need to vent their aggressions, it's a great thing," another told the radio.
Less pleased seemed to be the municipality cleaners, who had to sweep up the thousands of feathers which covered the square after the fight.
Another account of the event:
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Hundreds of people gathered in the city center of Tel Aviv, Israel for a pillow fight. The participants battled one another fiercely causing down and cotton to fill the air of the city center.
In Tel Aviv, hundreds of young people gathered for a pillow fight. Each and every one of them had been mobilized through text messaging and Internet communications. Despite being strangers to one another, participants had no problem picking out a common enemy. One man came prepared with a gigantic hammer made of pillows, but ended up becoming everyone’s common enemy. The down and cotton from destroyed pillows filled the air.
“I'm having the best time. I came from Haifa and this is what happened to my pillow. It just blew up. It's amazing. I want to go back to the pillow fight,” said this pillow fight participant.
An Internet community called “Mobile Clubbing” mobilized this pillow battle. The group often uses text messages and emails to invite young people to different public events.