Israel Marks Two-Year Anniversary of the October 7th Attacks

What Happened?

Across Israel communities, towns, and people marked the two-year anniversary of the October 7^th attacks by Hamas, which started the current war in Gaza. On October 7^th, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal and indiscriminate assault on Israel, with the sole purpose of killing as many Israelis as possible. 

Hamas attackers murdered teenagers at a music festival, elderly people in their homes, and anyone else they could find. Altogether, some 1,200 Israelis were killed and hundreds taken hostage in the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Israel responded by launching a full-scale war against Hamas, which has destroyed much of Gaza in the past two years.

Why it Matters

The October 7^th attacks reflected the founding charter of Hamas, which remains committed to the destruction of Israel. Hamas advocates and teaches an ideology of hatred towards Jews and the state of Israel in general, and they frequently act on those teachings through violent attacks like October 7^th. 

As many Israelis have acknowledged, the October 7^th attacks were also made possible because of failed policies towards Hamas by Israel’s government. Israel and Hamas have fought several conflicts before, and after each round of fighting, Hamas used the pause to regroup, rebuild, and plot new attacks while Israel tried to return to life as usual. If Hamas is left in power in Gaza, it is likely they will do so again in the future. 

The war has obliterated much of Gaza, which is one of the most densely populated urban environments in the world. Gaza’s Health Ministry claims over sixty thousand Palestinians have been killed, but the actual number could be much lower or higher than that. Israel’s military often gives advance notice to people in buildings or areas it intends to target, a practice which undercuts charges of genocide often leveled against it. 

After two years of fighting, Israelis and Palestinians are weary, yet the war has deepened mistrust and hatred between the two neighbors. This has been consistently reflected in opinion polls, with each side expressing concern for casualties among their own people, with indifference or little regard for casualties of the other. Many Israelis want to end the war and want the Israeli hostages returned, but far fewer are concerned about the number of Palestinian deaths. 

Politically, the impact of the war has been complex. Some Palestinians have turned against Hamas, and significantly so have many of their Arab neighbors. Many Israelis are angry at their own government, but mostly for not securing the release of the hostages taken by Hamas. Iran has suffered a major loss of credibility in the Gaza War because all its proxies have been beaten decisively by Israel and the United States.

How it Affects You

For the war to end, Hamas must be disarmed, or Israel must agree to allow an armed Hamas to remain in Gaza, both of which seem unlikely. Negotiators in Egypt this week face an uphill battle to bring the war in Gaza to a close.