Israel Marks Second Anniversary of October 7 Attack as Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations Continue

Trump has encouraged negotiators to "proceed quickly" to end the Gaza conflict.

Israel commemorates the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack on Tuesday, while Hamas and Israeli negotiators engage in indirect discussions aimed at ending the two-year Gaza war under a US-proposed peace initiative.

Two years ago to this day, as the Jewish festival of Sukkot concluded, Hamas-led attackers launched an unexpected assault on Israel, resulting in the deadliest day in the nation's history.

Palestinian militants breached the Gaza-Israel border, attacking southern Israeli communities and a desert music festival with gunfire, rockets, and grenades.

The attack claimed 1,219 lives on the Israeli side, primarily civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

The Palestinian group also captured 251 hostages and brought them into Gaza, of whom 47 remain in captivity, including 25 whom the Israeli military reports as deceased.

Memorial ceremonies were scheduled across Israel on Tuesday to mark the anniversary.

Numerous relatives and friends of those killed at the Nova music festival lit candles and observed a minute of silence at the attack site in southern Israel, where the Palestinian group killed more than 370 people and seized dozens of hostages.

Many Israelis visited the Nova festival site on Monday.

"A tremendously difficult and devastating incident occurred here," Elad Gancz, a teacher, told AFP as he mourned the victims.

"But we want to live – and despite everything, continue with our lives, remembering those who were here and, unfortunately, are no longer with us."

Another ceremony was scheduled in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, where weekly rallies have maintained calls for the captives' release.

A state-organized commemoration is planned for October 16.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza by air, land, and sea continues unabated, resulting in tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths and widespread destruction.

The Hamas-run health ministry reports at least 67,160 people have been killed, figures the United Nations considers credible.

Their data does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but indicates that over half of the deceased are women and children.

Entire neighborhoods have been demolished, with homes, hospitals, schools, and water networks in ruins.

Hundreds of thousands of homeless Gazans now seek shelter in overcrowded camps and open areas with minimal access to food, water, or sanitation.

"We have lost everything in this war, our homes, family members, friends, neighbors," said Hanan Mohammed, 36, who is displaced from her home in Jabalia.

"I can't wait for a ceasefire to be announced and for this endless bloodshed and death to stop... there is nothing left but destruction."

After two years of conflict, 72 percent of the Israeli public expressed dissatisfaction with the government's handling of the war, according to a recent survey by the Institute for National Security Studies.

Israel has expanded its military operations throughout the war, striking targets in five regional capitals, including Iran, and eliminating several senior Hamas figures and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel and Hamas now face increasing international pressure to end the war, with a UN investigation last month accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and rights groups accusing Hamas of war crimes in the October 7 attack. Both sides reject these allegations.

Last week, US President Donald Trump introduced a 20-point plan calling for an immediate ceasefire upon Hamas's release of all hostages, 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 moving between delegations under tight security.

Al-Qahera News, which is connected to Egyptian state intelligence, reported that the discussions focused on "preparing ground conditions" for a hostage-prisoner exchange under Trump's plan.

A Palestinian source close to Hamas negotiators stated that the talks, which commenced on the eve of the October 7 anniversary, might continue for several days.

Trump has urged negotiators to "move fast" to end the Gaza war, where Israeli strikes continued on Monday.

The US president told Newsmax TV, "I think we're very, very close to having a deal... I think there's a lot of goodwill being shown now. It's pretty amazing actually".

Although both sides have welcomed Trump's proposal, reaching an agreement on its details is expected to be extremely challenging.

The war has previously experienced two ceasefires that enabled the release of dozens of hostages.

However, Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir has warned that if these negotiations fail, the military will "return to fighting" in Gaza.

(This article has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)