Two years have passed since the devastating Hamas attack plunged Israel into its longest war, and the second anniversary arrived on Tuesday not with fanfare, but with a profound sense of solemnity. Despite whispers of ongoing peace talks, the grim reality remains: 48 Israeli hostages are still held captive, the Palestinian death toll continues to mount, and the relentless destruction of the Gaza Strip shows little sign of abating. Israel’s military, exhausted by the prolonged conflict, continues its operations amidst a landscape of unresolved grief and escalating tensions.
The nation’s mood was further subdued by the coinciding Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot, a time of national and religious observance that saw most businesses close. Official commemorations for the horrific first day of the war were postponed until after the High Holiday season, allowing for a brief, quiet pause before the full weight of remembrance.
Yet, the significance of Tuesday’s milestone was palpable and unavoidable. Throughout Israel, particularly in the kibbutzim near Gaza that bore the brunt of the October 7, 2023, massacres, small, poignant gatherings took place. Across the country, informal remembrance events saw citizens come together to reflect and mourn.
Early Tuesday morning in Rehovot, a town south of Tel Aviv, a small but determined group of about 20 runners embarked on a powerful silent protest. Clad in T-shirts bearing messages for the return of hostages – including their fellow townsman, Nimrod Cohen – they moved along a familiar route, met with sympathetic honks from passing cars, a simple yet potent display of solidarity.
Just two miles from Gaza, in the small kibbutz of Kfar Azza, where 62 lives were brutally lost and 19 residents abducted, dozens gathered for a memorial. It began with a solemn moment of silence at 6:29 a.m., precisely when, two years prior, Hamas launched its initial barrage of thousands of rockets, overwhelming Israel’s formidable air defenses.
Concealed beneath this intense aerial assault was Hamas’s primary offensive: an invasion involving thousands of militants who breached the Gaza fence, overwhelming border towns and peaceful agricultural communities. They executed residents in their homes, mercilessly gunned down young attendees at a music festival, and overran several Israeli military installations.
The tragic outcome of that day saw approximately 1,200 people killed by Hamas, predominantly civilians, and around 250 others taken captive. It stands as the bloodiest single day in Israel’s history and the deadliest for Jewish people globally since the Holocaust.
In the aftermath, a stunned Israel launched a massive military retaliation. According to the Gaza health ministry, this response has resulted in over 67,000 Palestinian deaths, encompassing both civilians and combatants, alongside tens of thousands wounded. Thousands of buildings have been razed, transforming much of Gaza’s urban and natural landscape into a desolate expanse of rubble, shrapnel, and sand.
For Palestinians in Gaza, the conflict has meant a relentless cycle of displacement, fleeing Israeli attacks from one supposed safe zone to another, only to be forced to move again. The dire humanitarian situation, marked by severe food shortages and significant barriers to aid delivery, prompted an international panel of hunger experts to declare parts of the enclave in famine by August.
Domestically, the war has deeply fractured Israeli society. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inability to secure the release of the remaining hostages, despite widespread public support for such a move, has only widened pre-existing societal divisions. Many Israelis accuse him of prolonging the conflict, allegedly to maintain his right-wing coalition and cling to power, even after Hamas’s leadership was severely weakened.
This protracted conflict has taken a heavy toll on the economy, demanding multiple extended tours of duty from reservists and putting their lives on indefinite pause. It has also reignited long-simmering resentment towards ultra-Orthodox Jews, who largely remain exempt from mandatory military service.
Israel’s wartime actions, marked by a devastating casualty count and heartbreaking images of children and other civilians killed and injured in Gaza, have drawn intense international criticism. Compounded by statements from far-right allies of Prime Minister Netanyahu advocating for the depopulation and annexation of Gaza, these actions have led to widespread allegations of genocide from various bodies, including a United Nations commission and Amnesty International.
Israel vehemently rejects these accusations, asserting that its military meticulously works to safeguard Palestinian civilians, often issuing warnings before strikes. Furthermore, it places blame on Hamas, accusing the militant group of intentionally endangering civilians by operating from within densely populated areas like hospitals and schools.
Adding to the international condemnation, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin sharply criticized the “ongoing massacre” in Gaza during an interview with L’Osservatore Romano on Monday. He specifically accused the Israeli army of failing to acknowledge that its operations were largely impacting a defenseless population.
The intense outrage sparked by the Gaza war has sadly contributed to a global surge in antisemitism and violence targeting 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 staff outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C.; and the murder of two worshippers at a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.
The protracted conflict has undeniably amplified Israel’s isolation on the global stage. This became starkly evident in late September when ten nations, including key allies such as Britain, Canada, France, and Australia, took the unprecedented step of formally recognizing Palestinian statehood.
Paradoxically, despite this international recognition, Palestinian political aspirations seem more distant than ever. The October 7 attacks catalyzed a significant shift to the right within Israeli politics, leading many liberals who once championed peace to now feel betrayed and express opposition to a Palestinian state on Israel’s border.
As Tuesday unfolded, the war along the Israel-Gaza border showed no signs of conclusion, its echoes reverberating across the ravaged landscape.
In Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, the pre-dawn hours were pierced by the roar of Israeli warplanes at 1 a.m. and again after 5:30 a.m. With the sunrise came the distinct sounds of gunfire in the eastern parts of the town, punctuated by the concussive blasts of artillery fire.
Across the border, after 7 a.m., rocket sirens blared in Netiv HaAsara, an Israeli community bordering northern Gaza. The Israeli military confirmed that a projectile had landed in the vicinity.
Back in Kfar Azza, the attempted moment of silence at 6:29 a.m. was shattered by the incessant whine of drones, the thrum of helicopters overhead, and frequent, jarring explosions tearing through the air, a stark reminder of the ongoing conflict.
“Some people claim that the events of that day are fading into the past, but for me, the memory feels more vivid and powerful than ever,” shared Nitzan Kaner, 37, who endured 30 harrowing hours trapped during the militant assault. She spoke of a sleepless Tuesday morning, consumed by thoughts of the trauma she had experienced.