JERUSALEM: Israel commemorated the second anniversary of the October 7 attack on Tuesday while Hamas and Israeli negotiators engaged in indirect talks to end the two-year Gaza war under a United States proposed peace plan.
The Hamas-led surprise assault on the closing day of the Jewish festival of Sukkot became the deadliest day in Israel’s history.
Palestinian fighters breached the Gaza-Israel border and stormed southern Israeli communities and a desert music festival with gunfire, rockets, and grenades.
The attack killed 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Militants also seized 251 hostages into Gaza, with 47 still held captive including 25 whom the Israeli military declares dead.
Memorial events took place across Israel on Tuesday to mark the sombre anniversary.
Dozens of relatives and friends of those killed at the Nova music festival lit candles and observed a minute’s silence at the attack site in southern Israel.
Palestinian militants killed more than 370 people at the festival and abducted dozens of hostages.
Many Israelis visited the Nova festival site on Monday to pay their respects.
Teacher Elad Gancz told AFP that it was a very difficult and enormous incident that happened there.
He added that they want to live and continue with their lives while remembering those who were there and are no longer with them.
Another ceremony occurred at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where weekly rallies persistently demand the captives’ release.
A state-organised commemoration is scheduled for October 16.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza by air, land, and sea continues without slowing down.
The offensive has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused massive destruction.
The Hamas-run health ministry reports at least 67,160 people killed, figures which the United Nations considers credible.
Their data does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but indicates over half of the dead are women and children.
Entire neighbourhoods have been flattened, leaving homes, hospitals, schools, and water networks in ruins.
Hundreds of thousands of homeless Gazans now shelter in overcrowded camps and open areas with minimal access to food, water, or sanitation.
Hanan Mohammed, a 36-year-old displaced from her home in Jabalia, said they have lost everything in this war including their homes, family members, friends, and neighbours.
She expressed desperation for a ceasefire announcement to stop the endless bloodshed and death, stating there is nothing left but destruction.
A recent survey by the Institute for National Security Studies found 72% of the Israeli public dissatisfied with the government’s war handling after two years of conflict.
Israel has expanded its military operations during the war, striking targets in five regional capitals including Iran.
The strikes killed several senior Hamas figures and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel and Hamas now face increasing international pressure to end the war.
A United Nations probe last month accused Israel of genocide in Gaza while rights groups accused Hamas of war crimes in the October 7 attack.
Both sides firmly reject these allegations.
United States President Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point plan last week calling for an immediate ceasefire after Hamas releases all hostages.
The proposal also demands the group’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Indirect talks began Monday in Egypt’s resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh with mediators shuttling between delegations under tight security.
Al-Qahera News, linked to Egyptian state intelligence, reported the discussions focused on preparing ground conditions for a hostage-prisoner exchange under Trump’s plan.
A Palestinian source close to Hamas negotiators said the talks that opened on the eve of the October 7 anniversary might last several days.
Trump has urged negotiators to move fast to end the war in Gaza where Israeli strikes continued on Monday.
The US president told Newsmax TV that he thinks they are very close to having a deal and noted the amazing amount of goodwill being shown.
Although both sides have welcomed Trump’s proposal, reaching agreement on its details is expected to be a Herculean task.
The war previously saw two ceasefires that enabled the release of dozens of hostages.
Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir has warned that if these negotiations fail, the military will return to fighting in Gaza. – AFP