Israelis Come together to Commemorate Two Years Since 7 October Hamas Attack

Come Tuesday, Israelis will gather in various locations to remember the second anniversary of the 7 October attack, during which Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in an attack on the southern regions of Israel.

Community-led Remembrances and Rallies

Local remembrance events will be held in the tiny communal settlements of the southern part of the country in which individuals were murdered or taken hostage, and a sizeable public gathering will be held in the city of Tel Aviv to urge the freeing of the hostages still held from detention by Hamas in Gaza.

The national commemorative service of memorial will take place on the sixteenth of October in the country's main burial ground on Herzl Mountain after the religious festival of the Rejoicing of the Torah.

Collective Trauma and Lasting Consequences

The recollection of the collective trauma of the incident from two years back – the deadliest single attack in the history of Israel – continues to cast a shadow all over Israel. The images of captives still held in the coastal enclave are plastered on public transport stations across the land, and homes that were torched by militants as they rampaged through kibbutzim are left scorched and vacant.

Hundreds of survivors the assault at the Nova music festival joined a commemoration on recent Sunday with former hostages and the relatives of those lost.

“This beloved soul could have turned 27 years old now. I relive the moment as if it were very recently,” a grieving parent, the father of Idan Dor was killed at the festival, remarked while standing under a tribute displaying victims’ faces.

Ceasefire Hopes

The milestone has been overshadowed by expectations that the hostilities in the strip may finally be nearing its end. Negotiators from the opposing factions convened in Egypt on recent Monday where they commenced negotiations through intermediaries to iron out the details of the freeing of all hostages kept in the territory and the return of around 2,000 detainees from Palestine, as well as the preliminary retreat of Israeli troops from Gaza.

This phase of discussions, while still distant from a resolution, has produced increased hope than previous negotiation attempts following the last ceasefire fell apart in March's halfway point.

Benjamin Netanyahu has said he hopes to announce the release of hostages “in the coming days”, while the ex-leader has warned the group with “complete destruction” in case the arrangement is not reached.

Civilian Demands

A number of remembrance activities have been converted for demonstrations to call on the leadership to reach a deal to free those detained and end the war. At a rally in the square dedicated to hostages in the metropolitan area on recent Saturday, relatives called for the leader accept the former president's proposal to conclude the conflict in the strip.

Conditions in the Strip

Inside the territory, Palestinians are waiting with bated breath to see if a ceasefire takes place. In spite of the former leader's calls that Israel stop bombing Gaza prior to a hostage release, strikes on the strip have continued. Gaza’s ministry of health said no fewer than 19 individuals were killed by Israel in the past day, comprising two people attempting to obtain help.

This Tuesday will also mark the two-year point of the commencement of Israel’s military campaign on the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in infrastructural and civilian damage to the inhabitants.

In excess of 67,000 residents of Gaza have been died and around one hundred seventy thousand have been harmed by the nation's military in Gaza, according to the strip's medical office. A minimum of four hundred sixty people have perished due to lack of food in the strip, and the international top body on food crises has said a severe food shortage is developing in areas of the territory – a result of what numerous relief organizations say is an restrictions imposed by the nation on Gaza. The nation has denied the claim.

A UN commission of inquiry, multiple organizations focused on rights and the international top group of experts on genocide have claimed the nation has carried out genocide in the strip during the last 24 months. Israel has rejected the charge and said its actions represent self-protection.