Israel recently observed the two-year anniversary of the devastating Hamas attack that plunged the region into its longest and most challenging war. This somber Tuesday was met with a mix of fragile hope for peace and the grim reality of 48 Israeli hostages still held captive in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel’s weary military continues its operations, adding to the tragic Palestinian death toll and the widespread devastation of the Gaza Strip.
The timing of this poignant milestone coincided with the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot, a national and religious holiday that saw most businesses closed. Consequently, the government postponed formal commemorations of that traumatic first day of war until after the High Holiday season, slated for October 16.
Nevertheless, the anniversary’s impact was undeniable. Throughout Israel, quiet gatherings took place, particularly in kibbutzim near Gaza that bore the brunt of the Hamas-led massacres on October 7, 2023. Informal events also drew participants from across the country. In Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv, a small group of around 20 runners, clad in T-shirts bearing messages for the return of hostages, embarked on a morning run through their town, home to a captured soldier named Nimrod Cohen. Their passage was met with supportive honks from passing cars.
In Kfar Azza, a small kibbutz located less than two miles from Gaza, where at least 62 residents were brutally killed and 19 taken hostage, dozens gathered for a memorial. It began with a moment of silence at 6:29 a.m. – the exact time on that fateful Saturday morning when Hamas launched thousands of rockets, overwhelming Israel’s air-defense systems. This aerial barrage provided cover for the main Hamas offensive, as thousands of militants poured across the border fence into towns and agricultural communities. They systematically murdered residents in their homes, massacred young people at a music festival, and overran Israeli military bases. In total, Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people, predominantly civilians, and abducted around 250. This day remains the deadliest in Israel’s history and the most catastrophic for Jews worldwide since the Holocaust.
(An accompanying image showed mourners at a memorial service held in Kfar Azza, southern Israel, on Tuesday.)
(Another image depicted photographs of Oct. 7 victims displayed in Kfar Azza, a kibbutz that endured immense loss with 62 residents killed and 19 others taken hostage.)
Israel’s response was swift and devastating. Its military unleashed an offensive that, according to the Gaza health ministry, has resulted in over 67,000 Palestinian deaths, including both civilians and combatants. Tens of thousands more have been wounded, and vast swathes of Gaza’s infrastructure have been reduced to rubble, shrapnel, and sand.
The ongoing conflict has trapped Palestinians in Gaza in a brutal cycle of displacement, fleeing Israeli attacks from one supposed safe haven only to be forced to move again. Compounding this tragedy, severe food shortages and significant obstacles to delivering humanitarian aid led an international panel of hunger experts to declare in August that parts of the enclave were experiencing famine.
Within Israel, the protracted war and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inability to secure the release of the remaining hostages – despite widespread public support for such an exchange – have deeply fractured society. These divisions exacerbate pre-existing tensions from before Oct. 7. Many Israelis, particularly liberals who once advocated for peace, now feel a profound sense of betrayal and oppose the formation of a Palestinian state on Israel’s border. Critics also accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the conflict to maintain his right-wing coalition and cling to power, even after Hamas’s leadership was largely dismantled. The continuous mobilization of reservists for multiple extended tours of duty strains the economy and puts lives on hold, further fueling resentment towards ultra-Orthodox Jews, who are exempt from military service.
The devastating human cost, including countless civilian casualties and harrowing images of injured and deceased children in Gaza, coupled with inflammatory statements from Netanyahu’s far-right allies about depopulating and annexing the territory, have led to widespread allegations of genocide. These accusations come from various bodies, including a United Nations commission and Amnesty International.
Israel vehemently denies these claims, asserting that its military takes measures to protect Palestinian civilians, including issuing warnings before attacks. It also places blame on Hamas fighters for endangering civilians by operating from within densely populated areas, including hospitals and schools.
Internationally, Israel’s actions have drawn sharp criticism. On Monday in Rome, the Vatican’s secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, criticized the “ongoing massacre” in Gaza in an interview with L’Osservatore Romano newspaper, accusing the Israeli army of showing disregard for a “largely defenseless population.”
(An image depicted the ruined cityscape of Khan Younis in southern Gaza this month, illustrating the relentless cycle of displacement for Palestinians seeking refuge.)
The outrage over the Gaza war has also fueled a global surge in antisemitism and violence against Jewish communities. Tragic incidents include the killing of an elderly man at a pro-hostage march in Boulder, Colorado; the deaths of two Israeli Embassy workers outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C.; and the murder of two worshippers at a synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
Furthermore, the ongoing conflict has significantly intensified Israel’s isolation on the global stage. This was starkly evident in late September when ten countries, including traditional allies like Britain, Canada, France, and Australia, took the unprecedented step of recognizing Palestinian statehood.
Paradoxically, despite this international recognition, Palestinian political aspirations appear more distant than ever. The Oct. 7 attacks caused a pronounced rightward shift in Israeli public opinion, leading many who once supported peace to feel betrayed and now oppose a Palestinian state on their border.
As Tuesday drew to a close, the echoes of war persisted on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border. In Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Israeli warplanes roared overhead in the early morning hours, followed by gunfire and artillery blasts in the eastern parts of the town as the sun rose. In the Israeli community of Netiv HaAsara, on Gaza’s northern border, rocket sirens blared after 7 a.m., with the military confirming a projectile had landed in the vicinity. Even the solemn moment of silence observed at 6:29 a.m. in Kfar Azza was disrupted by the constant whine of drones, helicopter flights, and frequent explosions.
“Some believe what happened is fading into memory, but for me, it’s stronger than ever,” shared Nitzan Kaner, 37, who recounted being trapped for about 30 hours during the initial militant attack. On Tuesday morning, she confessed to a sleepless night, haunted by the thought: “I couldn’t stop thinking about what we went through.”