Gaza marks 2nd anniversary of war amid relentless attacks, peace talks

GAZA CITY

Both peace talks and Israel’s attacks on Gaza continued on Oct. 7, amid the two-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel that triggered the bloody conflict that has seen tens of thousands of Palestinians killed.

The second day of indirect negotiations in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt focused on a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump last week that aims to bring about an end to the war in Gaza.

After several hours of talks on Oct. 6, an Egyptian official said the parties agreed on most of the first-phase terms, which include the release of hostages and establishing a ceasefire.

On the ground, Israeli tanks, boats and jets pounded several regions in Gaza on Oct. 7, giving Palestinians no respite on the anniversary of the war.

Residents of Khan Younis in southern Gaza and Gaza City in the north experienced intense bombardment from tanks and aircraft.

The war began when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.

In response, Israeli leaders promised a punishing offensive on the strip to annihilate Hamas and free the hostages, with over 67,000 Palestinians killed in the war.

Roughly 11 percent of Gaza’s population has been killed or injured, while cemeteries are overflowing and mass graves dot the strip.

Israeli airstrikes have killed entire families in their homes. More than 2,000 people seeking food have been killed, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

Countless Palestinian families have fled the length of Gaza and back, forced to move every few months to dodge successive Israeli offensives. Many have been displaced multiple times , moving between apartments and makeshift tent camps as they try to survive. Squalid tent cities now sprawl across much of Gaza’s south.

Displacements have separated families. Heavy bombardment has left thousands buried under the rubble. Troops round up and detain men, from dozens to several hundreds at a time, searching for any they suspect of Hamas ties. The result is families split apart.

The war is also the deadliest conflict for journalists, health workers and U.N. aid workers in history.

Meanwhile, in Israel, thousands of people converged oto mourn the dead.

The main memorial was organized by the bereaved families, separate from a ceremony that the government will hold on the anniversary next week according to the Hebrew calendar.

The split reflects deep divisions over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s leadership, which many blame for the failure to secure a ceasefire that would free the remaining hostages held by the militants.

The failure to return the hostages has left the country deeply divided, with weekly mass protests against Netanyahu.

Israel is more isolated internationally than it has been in decades, with the backlash seeping into economic, cultural and sporting arenas.

Nearly 400 Israelis were killed and dozens abducted from the Nova music festival in the border community of Reim. Over the last two years, it has emerged as a memorial site, with portraits of the kidnapped and fallen affixed to Israeli flags.