Two years after the devastating Hamas-led attack, Israel observed the grim anniversary with a quiet sense of reflection. While hopes for peace talks stir, the reality remains stark: hostages are still held in Gaza, the Palestinian death toll continues to rise amidst ongoing military actions, and Israel finds itself increasingly isolated on the global stage.
The somber mood was compounded by the timing, coinciding with Sukkot, a significant Jewish harvest festival. This national holiday meant most businesses were closed, and official commemorations of the war’s traumatic inception were postponed until October 16th, following the conclusion of the High Holiday period.
Despite the deferrals and holidays, the two-year mark of the conflict was impossible to ignore.
Throughout Israel, communities gathered in quiet remembrance. Especially poignant were the informal ceremonies held in kibbutzim near Gaza, areas that bore the brunt of the October 7th massacres.
In Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv, a group of about 20 runners, wearing shirts demanding the release of hostages, traversed a well-known route. Their silent demonstration, honoring captured soldier Nimrod Cohen, was met with sympathetic honks from passing motorists.
Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square became a focal point of quiet contemplation, where hundreds of Israelis reflected amidst art installations and memorials. These tributes honored those still held captive and citizens lost either during the initial October 7th attack or in subsequent captivity. Authorities estimate approximately 20 live hostages remain in Gaza, alongside the remains of 28 others who perished.
Ilana Yahav, a 69-year-old therapist, articulated the profound emotional toll, stating that October 7th unleashed such deep trauma that adequately addressing everyone’s suffering felt insurmountable.
“Whether you were directly present, had a family member affected, or simply witnessed the events through media, the psychological impact will necessitate many years of healing,” she added.
Tzlil Sasson, 38, and her husband brought their three young children from Lehavim, a community east of Gaza.
“As parents, we felt it was crucial to bring our children here to remember and pray,” she explained. “We hold onto hope that, perhaps in a few days, the hostages will finally be free.”
At Kfar Aza, a small kibbutz located just under two miles from Gaza, which suffered the loss of at least 62 residents and the capture of 19, a solemn memorial commenced with a moment of silence at 6:29 a.m. This precise time marked the start of the devastating Saturday morning assault when Hamas launched thousands of rockets, overwhelming Israel’s air defenses.
Beneath this intense rocket barrage, the primary Hamas offensive unfolded: thousands of militants breached the border fence, infiltrating towns and small agricultural communities. They murdered residents in their homes, massacred young people at a music festival, and overran Israeli military installations.
In total, Hamas’s brutal assault resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, predominantly civilians, and the abduction of around 250 individuals into Gaza. This marked the most violent day in Israel’s history and the deadliest for Jewish people globally since the Holocaust.
In the wake of this shock, Israel launched a powerful military response. Over the past two years, this has led to the deaths of more than 67,000 Palestinians, a figure that includes both civilians and combatants, as reported by the Gaza health ministry.
The conflict has also left tens of thousands more injured, destroyed countless buildings, and transformed much of Gaza’s landscape and infrastructure into rubble, shrapnel, and sand.
Palestinians in Gaza have been caught in a relentless cycle of displacement, forced to seek refuge from Israeli attacks in areas designated as safe zones, only to be compelled to flee once more. Furthermore, severe food shortages and significant hurdles in delivering humanitarian aid prompted an international panel of hunger experts in August to declare that parts of the enclave were experiencing famine conditions.
In Israel, the protracted conflict and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inability to secure the release of the remaining hostages have deepened existing societal divides, further polarizing a nation already grappling with internal tensions prior to the October 7th attack.
Many Israelis believe that the Prime Minister has prolonged the war, reportedly declining cease-fire opportunities even after Hamas’s leadership was severely disrupted, all in an effort to maintain his right-wing coalition and solidify his grip on power.
This extended conflict has compelled reservists to endure multiple, lengthy deployments, straining the national economy and putting countless lives on hold. Simultaneously, it has intensified long-standing grievances against ultra-Orthodox Jews, who are typically exempt from mandatory military service.
The conduct of the war by Israel, characterized by a massive casualty count and disturbing images of children and other civilians killed or injured in Gaza, along with statements from Mr. Netanyahu’s far-right allies expressing a desire to depopulate and annex the territory, has triggered widespread accusations of genocide, including from a United Nations commission and Amnesty International.
Israel vehemently denies these allegations, asserting that its military operates to safeguard Palestinian civilians, often issuing warnings before attacks. Furthermore, it blames Hamas for deliberately endangering civilians by operating from within densely populated areas, including hospitals and schools.
The widespread outrage generated by the war has regrettably contributed to a global surge in antisemitism and violence targeting Jewish communities. Tragic incidents include the murder of an elderly woman during a hostage support march in Boulder, Colorado; the killings of two Israeli Embassy staff outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C.; and the deaths of two worshippers at a Manchester, England, synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to combat antisemitism and criticized students for organizing protests on the anniversary of the October 7th atrocities.
“This behavior does not reflect our national character,” he penned in a London newspaper. “It is un-British to show such a lack of respect for fellow citizens.”
The extended duration of the conflict has also significantly increased Israel’s international isolation. This became strikingly evident in late September when ten nations, including traditional allies such as Britain, Canada, France, and Australia, formally recognized Palestinian statehood—a historic first for many of them.
Paradoxically, however, Palestinian political ambitions appear more distant than ever by other standards.
The October 7th attacks catalyzed a rightward shift in Israeli politics, leading many liberals who once advocated for peace to now feel betrayed and express opposition to a Palestinian state bordering Israel.
On Tuesday, the war showed no signs of ending, impacting communities on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border.
Despite Hamas’s diminished strength and depleted arsenal, rocket sirens blared in Netiv HaAsara, an Israeli community on Gaza’s northern border, shortly after 7 a.m. The Israeli military confirmed that a projectile had landed in the vicinity.
In Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Israeli warplanes were audible overhead at 1 a.m. and again after 5:30 a.m. With the sunrise, gunfire echoed through the eastern part of the town, interspersed with sporadic artillery explosions.
Ahmed al-Haddad, 51, a Gaza resident, recounted how he, his wife, and their four children had been displaced five times. He stated that their current suffering eclipsed even the stories his grandparents shared about the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” referring to the displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s War of Independence.
“This war is truly the harshest, the most merciless,” he lamented. “It feels like a harder, more brutal repetition of history.”
Meanwhile, back in Israel, the intended moment of silence at Kfar Aza at 6:29 a.m. was punctuated by the hum of drones, the roar of helicopters, and the frequent rumble of explosions.
Zion Regev, a local leader, recited an adapted version of the traditional Jewish prayer for mourning. His voice faltered as he mentioned “our Gali and Ziv” – two brothers from Kfar Aza who remain captive in Gaza – emphasizing their continued absence.
“While some might say the events are fading into memory, for me, the impact feels stronger than ever,” expressed Nitzan Kaner, 37, who endured being trapped for approximately 30 hours during the militant assault.
She described a restless night before the anniversary:
“I couldn’t stop reliving what we experienced,” she stated.
A short distance away, hundreds gathered at the Nova music festival site, where over 300 lives were lost. Here, signs adorned with the victims’ faces stood in rows, evoking the memory of dancers at a rave.
Anat Magnezi held a poster featuring a photograph of her 22-year-old son, Amit, who was killed, obscuring her own face with his image.
“I yearn for the world to truly see and understand what happened to us, to acknowledge its reality,” she expressed. “Yet, it feels as though the world has turned against us.”
Roman Fourmann, whose stepdaughter Dana Petrenko, 23, died alongside her boyfriend, stood with his family at a small memorial dedicated to them.
“Today feels no different than when the tragedy occurred two years ago,” he commented. “We continue with our lives, we work, but we simply cannot escape the haunting feeling that it is still October 7th.”
A correction has been issued: An earlier version of this article mistakenly identified a victim of an antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado. The individual killed during a march advocating for Israeli hostages was a woman, not a man.
David M. Halbfinger, currently serving his second term as the Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times, spearheads the reporting on Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Following his initial tenure from 2017 to 2021, he held the position of Politics editor, overseeing national political coverage, including threats to democracy and the 2024 presidential campaign.