Citizens of Israel Gather to Observe Two Years Since 7 October Hamas Attack

Come Tuesday, people across Israel will gather in various locations to commemorate the second anniversary of the militant incursion, in which fighters affiliated with Hamas caused the deaths of around 1,200 persons and seized 251 captives in an attack on Israel's southern areas.

Community-led Remembrances and Gatherings

Community memorials are set to take place in the small agricultural communities of Israel's south where residents were murdered or taken hostage, and a sizeable public gathering will occur in Tel Aviv to urge the release of the captives yet to be returned from confinement under Hamas in Gaza.

The national commemorative service of memorial will take place on 16 October in the national graveyard of Israel on Mount Herzl following the religious festival of Simchat Torah.

Collective Trauma and Ongoing Impact

The recollection of the collective trauma of the assault 24 months prior – the worst singular offensive in the history of Israel – remains profoundly felt across the country. The images of captives yet to be freed in the coastal enclave are plastered on transit points nationwide, and residences that were torched by fighters as they marauded through kibbutzim stand charred and abandoned.

A multitude of those who lived through the assault at the Nova music festival joined a commemoration on the past Sunday with previously detained individuals and the families of victims.

“This dear one might have celebrated 27 today. The recollection stays with me as if it were just moments past,” the bereaved father, whose son his child Idan lost his life at the festival, remarked beneath a monument displaying photographs of those killed.

Peace Talks

The commemoration has been eclipsed by aspirations that the war in Gaza might be approaching conclusion. Delegates from Hamas and Israel met in Egypt on the past Monday where they began indirect talks to finalize the terms of the freeing of all hostages detained in the strip and the return of around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, as well as the initial withdrawal of the nation's soldiers from the Gaza Strip.

This phase of discussions, even though far from a deal, has sparked greater optimism than earlier diplomatic moves after the most recent truce broke down in the middle of March.

The Israeli leader has stated he hopes to announce the freeing of captives “over the next few days”, while Donald Trump has warned the group with “utter annihilation” should the agreement fails to materialize.

Public Pressure

Certain memorial gatherings have been transformed into rallies to demand the leadership to reach a deal to return the captives and end the war. During a protest in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, relatives insisted the leader approve Trump’s plan to conclude the conflict in the strip.

Gaza's Reality

Inside the territory, residents are anxiously awaiting to see if an armistice materialises. Regardless of the ex-president's requests that the military cease attacks on Gaza prior to a prisoner exchange, strikes on the strip persist. The strip's medical administration reported a minimum of 19 persons were died from Israeli strikes during the previous 24-hour period, including two individuals seeking aid.

This Tuesday will also mark the second anniversary of the start of the nation's armed offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has brought infrastructural and civilian damage to the residents.

More than 67,000 residents of Gaza have been killed and approximately 170,000 have been injured by Israel in Gaza, per the strip's medical office. At least 460 people have died from starvation in Gaza, and the international top body on famine situations has declared a severe food shortage is occurring in areas of the territory – a product of what numerous relief organizations say is an restrictions imposed by the nation on the strip. Israel has rejected the allegation.

A UN-led examination panel, several human rights groups and the global leading organization of genocide scholars have stated the country has committed genocide in the territory over the past two years. The Israeli administration has disputed the claim and stated its measures represent self-protection.