On Thursday, Israel observed a somber national day dedicated to remembering the victims of the devastating Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and all who perished in the subsequent conflict. This commemoration comes just under a week after a cease-fire took effect in Gaza.
Jerusalem’s national cemetery, Mount Herzl, hosted two key state ceremonies. These events, held on the Jewish calendar’s two-year anniversary of the 2023 attack, honored all lives lost during the war — with separate tributes for fallen soldiers, security personnel, and civilians.
Addressing the ceremony for soldiers, Israeli President Isaac Herzog reflected on the two years of conflict, stating, “Even if this isn’t the ultimate conclusion, we hold onto the hope that we are drawing near to it, our voices thick with tears and sorrow, yet mingled with fleeting moments of solace.”
The recent cease-fire facilitated the release of the final 20 living hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. In return, Israel released almost 2,000 Palestinians, including 250 convicted of terrorism or violent acts against Israelis, alongside approximately 1,700 others detained in Gaza during the war without formal charges.
Video: A poignant state ceremony marked the Jewish calendar’s two-year anniversary of the 2023 attack, honoring lives lost in the conflict.
On Thursday, Israel confirmed the identification of two additional bodies returned by Hamas on Wednesday. These individuals, Israel stated, were among those killed in the October 2023 attack and subsequently taken into Gaza. The previous week’s truce agreement stipulated the immediate return of all remaining bodies from Gaza, though both factions recognized that locating and retrieving some remains might be prolonged due to the widespread destruction within the enclave.
To date, the Palestinian militant group has returned at least nine identified bodies to Israel. However, spokesmen for the prime minister’s office indicate that the remains of 19 more Israelis are still believed to be in Gaza.
The International Red Cross reports that Israel has repatriated at least 90 Palestinian bodies to Gaza. Concurrently, the Israeli military has pulled back some forces to a pre-determined line within Gaza, allowing some residents to return to their former neighborhoods—or what remains of them. During the Jerusalem state ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s commitment to achieving all its war objectives. He has consistently defined these goals as including the disarmament of Hamas, a demand that has been a non-negotiable point for the group and remains a significant hurdle in ongoing peace talks.
Netanyahu further asserted that Israel had delivered ‘hammer blows’ to its adversaries, declaring that ‘anyone who dares to raise their hand against us will face severe consequences for their aggression.’
The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, encompassing Israeli civilians and security personnel, and saw around 250 individuals taken hostage. The ensuing conflict in Gaza has led to at least 67,000 Palestinian casualties, as reported by the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Since the war’s onset, Israel’s National Security Council confirms over 460 Israeli deaths. Many southern Israeli communities, still reeling from the two-year-old Hamas-led assault, have organized their own memorial services.
Yael Felus, a 52-year-old resident of Kfar Aza, a kibbutz tragically overrun by gunmen on October 7, 2023, shared that her community held an event Wednesday night to collectively process the devastating events of that day. She recounted spending 22 harrowing hours in hiding during the assault.
On Thursday morning, the kibbutz members reconvened at their cemetery, solemnly remembering the over 60 lives lost in Kfar Aza on that fateful day.
Ms. Felus, like many from her kibbutz, has been displaced for nearly two years while her village undergoes reconstruction. Expressing her yearning for peace, she stated, “I hope this is the end of the war. I only feel safe at home and I hope to return there soon.”