A divided Israel marks 2 years since Oct. 7 attack as war in Gaza grinds
on and hostages languish
[October 07, 2025]
By ALON BERNSTEIN and MELANIE LIDMAN
REIM, Israel (AP) — Thousands of people converged on southern Israel on
Tuesday to mourn the dead as the nation marked two years since Hamas’
Oct. 7 attack plunged the region into a devastating war, while Israel
and Hamas pressed on with indirect peace talks in Egypt.
The main memorial is being 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.
In the Gaza Strip, where Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed tens
of thousands of people and razed entire towns and cities, those who can
are fleeing another Israeli invasion of Gaza City while others are
sheltering in place. Many are unable to make the arduous and costly
journey south.
The worst attack in Israel’s history
It’s been two years since thousands of Hamas-led militants poured into
southern Israel after a surprise barrage of rockets. They stormed army
bases, farming communities and an outdoor music festival, killing some
1,200 people, mostly civilians, including women, children and older
adults.
They abducted 251 others, most of whom have since been released in
ceasefires or other deals. Forty-eight hostages remain inside Gaza,
around 20 of them believed by Israel to still be alive. Hamas has said
it will release them only in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an
Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until all of
the captives are returned and Hamas has been disarmed.
The attack set in motion a cascade of events that led Israel into combat
with Iran and its allies across the region, including Lebanon’s
Hezbollah, which suffered major losses. The United States joined Israel
in attacking Iran’s military and nuclear program in a 12-day war in
June.
Israel has killed several top militants as well as Iranian generals and
nuclear scientists, and it has vastly depleted the military capabilities
of its enemies while seizing control over most of Gaza as well as parts
of Lebanon and Syria.
But 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.
A memorial at the scene of a massacre
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.
There's no official ceremony at the Nova site, due to the Jewish holiday
of Sukkot, which coincides with the anniversary. Yet, scores of people
at the site shared memories of relatives and friends who were killed,
weaving through hundreds of photos encircling the spot where DJ booth
stood. At 6:29 am, the exact time the attack began, the music — the same
track that revelers were listening to at the time — stopped for a moment
of silence.
People embraced and spoke of their loss. Alon Muskinov, 28, who was at
the festival and lost three of his closest friends, said the survivors
live with the horrors of that day.
"We are reliving this every day anew, every day we remember them,” he
said.
Yehuda Rahmani, whose daughter Sharon — a police officer at the festival
— was also among those killed, said he visits the Nova site daily, to be
at the last place where she was alive.
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People visit the site of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of
revelers were killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, as
Israel marks the second year anniversary of the attack, near Kibbutz
Reim, southern Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel
Schalit)
To this day, Rahmani keeps hoping he will run into a survivor who
could tell him about his daughter's last moments. He is angry at the
government for not launching an inquiry into security failures of
that day.
"When you don’t know what happened, it makes it so much harder,” he
said.
Meanwhile, explosions echoed from Gaza and smoke billowed over the
strip. The army said a rocket was launched from northern Gaza in the
morning, but no damage or injuries were reported.
In Tel Aviv, the main memorial ceremony got underway, organized by
Yonatan Shamriz, whose brother Alon was among three hostages
mistakenly killed by Israeli forces after they escaped captivity
early in the war.
Shay Dickmann, who lost her aunt outside her house in Kibbutz Be'eri
on the day of the attack while her cousin, Carmel Gat, was taken
hostage by Hamas and killed 11 months later, said all everyone wants
is for the war to end.
“There is a deal on the table, there is an opportunity to end this
war and bring everybody back home,” she said. "We all deserve it, we
deserve it, our neighbors deserve it, we want this war to end and
all to come back to their homes.”
Israel and Hamas discuss Trump peace plan
In neighboring Egypt, in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Israel and
Hamas held indirect talks Monday to discuss U.S. President Donald
Trump's peace plan. The talks were to continue Tuesday.
The war has already killed over 67,000 Palestinians, according to
Gaza's Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, which does
not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and
children make up around half the dead, and many independent experts
say its figures are the most reliable estimate of wartime
casualties.
Israel's offensive has displaced around 90% of Gaza's population of
some 2 million, often multiple times, and restrictions on
humanitarian aid have contributed to a severe hunger crisis, with
experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine.
Experts and major rights groups have accused Israel of genocide, and
the International Criminal Court is seeking the arrest of Netanyahu
and his former defense minister for using starvation as a method of
war.
Israel vehemently denies the allegations, saying it is waging a
lawful war of self-defense and taking extraordinary measures to
avoid harming civilians. It blames Hamas for the death and
destruction in Gaza because the militants are deeply embedded in
populated areas.
Hamas portrayed the Oct. 7 attack as a response to decades of
Israeli land seizures, settlement construction and military
occupation. But the attack has exacted a catastrophic toll on the
Palestinians, whose dream of an independent state appears more
distant than ever.
___
Associated Press journalists Areej Hazboun in Tel Aviv, Israel, and
Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, contributed to this report.
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