I'm here to be with her, because this is the last time that she was alive
Two years after the deadliest day in Israel's modern history, a nation pauses to grieve while diplomats gather in an Egyptian resort town to ask whether war can finally give way to something else. The October 7 attack killed 1,219 Israelis and set in motion a military campaign that has since killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, hollowed out entire cities, and displaced hundreds of thousands. Now, with a Trump-brokered framework on the table and indirect talks underway in Sharm El-Sheikh, both sides face the ancient and unresolved question of how much destruction must precede the willingness to stop.
- Families gathered at the Nova festival site and Hostages Square on Tuesday, mourning 1,219 dead and 47 hostages still held — 25 of whom the Israeli military believes are no longer alive.
- Across Gaza, more than 67,000 people have been killed, entire neighborhoods erased, and hundreds of thousands left homeless with little access to food, water, or shelter.
- Indirect talks opened Monday in Sharm El-Sheikh, with mediators shuttling between Israeli and Hamas delegations to lay groundwork for a hostage-prisoner exchange under Trump's 20-point peace framework.
- Trump declared a deal was 'very, very close,' but the core demands — permanent ceasefire, Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal — remain the same obstacles that have broken every prior agreement.
- Even as diplomats spoke, Israeli strikes continued in Gaza and a projectile was fired from the territory on Tuesday, signaling how thin the line between negotiation and resumed full-scale war remains.
On the second anniversary of October 7, Israel held ceremonies of grief while negotiators sat in an Egyptian resort town attempting to end a war that has reshaped the region. Two years ago, Hamas-led militants breached the border during the Jewish festival of Sukkot, storming communities and a desert music festival, killing 1,219 people and taking 251 hostages into Gaza. Today, 47 remain in captivity, and the Israeli military says 25 of them are already dead.
At the Nova festival site in the Negev, families lit candles and observed silence where more than 370 people were killed. Orit Baron, 57, stood at the spot where her daughter and her daughter's fiancé died. "Now it's two years," she said. "I'm here to be with her, because this is the last time that she was alive."
Israel's military response has been vast and unrelenting. More than 67,160 Palestinians have been killed, with the United Nations considering the figures credible. Over half of the dead are women and children. Entire neighborhoods have been flattened, hospitals and water systems destroyed, and hundreds of thousands displaced into overcrowded camps. "We have lost everything," said Hanan Mohammed, 36, displaced from Jabalia. "I can't wait for a ceasefire to be announced and for this endless bloodshed to stop."
The war has also spread beyond Gaza — Israel has struck targets in five countries, killed senior Hamas figures, and eliminated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Yet 72 percent of Israelis surveyed say they are dissatisfied with how their government has managed the conflict.
On Monday, indirect talks opened in Sharm El-Sheikh under a 20-point framework proposed by President Trump, calling for a ceasefire, hostage release, Hamas disarmament, and gradual Israeli withdrawal. Trump said he believed a deal was "very, very close." Both sides have welcomed the proposal, but the details — permanent ceasefire and Hamas disarmament chief among them — are expected to be extraordinarily difficult. Two prior truces released dozens of hostages but resolved nothing fundamental. Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir warned that if talks fail, the army will return to fighting. Even as diplomats met, strikes continued in Gaza and a projectile was fired from the territory on Tuesday.
On the second anniversary of October 7, 2023, Israel paused to remember the deadliest day in its history while negotiators sat across from each other in an Egyptian resort town, trying to end a war that has consumed two years and reshaped the region entirely.
Two years ago, as the Jewish festival of Sukkot was closing, Hamas-led militants breached the border from Gaza and swept into southern Israel with guns, rockets, and grenades. They stormed communities and a desert music festival. The assault killed 1,219 people, most of them civilians. The militants also took 251 people hostage into Gaza. Today, 47 of those hostages remain in captivity, and the Israeli military says 25 of them are already dead.
On Tuesday, families gathered at the Nova music festival site in the Negev, where more than 370 people were killed that day. Orit Baron, 57, stood where her daughter Yuval and Yuval's fiancé Moshe Shuva died. "Now it's two years," she told journalists. "And I'm here to be with her, because this is the last time that she was alive." Relatives lit candles and held a minute of silence. Another ceremony was planned for Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, where people have gathered weekly for two years demanding the captives' release.
Israel's response has been massive and sustained. The military campaign across Gaza by air, land, and sea has killed at least 67,160 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory—figures the United Nations considers credible. The data does not separate civilians from combatants, but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children. Entire neighborhoods have been flattened. Homes, hospitals, schools, and water systems lie in ruins. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans are now homeless, sheltering in overcrowded camps and open areas with minimal access to food, water, or sanitation. Hanan Mohammed, 36, displaced from her home in Jabalia, spoke for many: "We have lost everything in this war, our homes, family members, friends, neighbours. I can't wait for a ceasefire to be announced and for this endless bloodshed and death to stop."
The war has also expanded beyond Gaza's borders. Israel has struck targets in five countries across the region, including Iran. It has killed senior Hamas figures and Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah. Yet at home, 72 percent of Israelis surveyed by the Institute for National Security Studies said they were dissatisfied with how the government has managed the war.
On Monday, as the anniversary approached, indirect talks began in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, with mediators shuttling between Israeli and Hamas delegations under tight security. The discussions are focused on preparing the ground for a hostage-prisoner exchange. Last week, President Trump unveiled a 20-point plan calling for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Trump has pressed negotiators to "move fast." He told Newsmax TV that "I think we're very, very close to having a deal... I think there's a lot of goodwill being shown now."
Both sides have welcomed Trump's proposal, but the details are expected to be extraordinarily difficult to resolve. Two earlier truces in the war enabled the release of dozens of hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, but neither envisioned a permanent ceasefire or Hamas disarmament. Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir has warned that if these negotiations fail, the military will "return to fighting" in Gaza. The talks may last several days, according to a Palestinian source close to Hamas negotiators. Even as diplomats spoke, Israeli strikes continued in Gaza on Monday, and on Tuesday the Israeli army reported detecting a projectile fired from Gaza, with no injuries reported.
Citas Notables
Now it's two years. And I'm here to be with her, because this is the last time that she was alive.— Orit Baron, mother of Yuval, killed at Nova festival
We have lost everything in this war, our homes, family members, friends, neighbours. I can't wait for a ceasefire to be announced and for this endless bloodshed and death to stop.— Hanan Mohammed, 36, displaced from Jabalia
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What does it mean that they're holding talks on the anniversary itself? Is that symbolic, or just timing?
It's both. The anniversary is when the world is watching, when the pain is most visible. Starting talks then sends a signal that something might actually change. But it also means families are grieving while negotiators are trying to make deals about their dead.
The numbers are staggering—67,000 Palestinians killed against 1,200 Israelis. How do you even negotiate when the asymmetry is that stark?
That asymmetry is exactly what makes it hard. Each side sees the other's losses as justified and their own as unbearable. The Israelis say they were attacked first and have a right to defend themselves. Palestinians say they're being punished for what Hamas did. Neither side can hear the other's grief.
Trump says they're "very close to a deal." Do you believe that?
I'd be cautious. Two earlier ceasefires happened, but they were temporary and didn't address the core issues—Hamas's existence, Israeli security, Palestinian statehood. This plan calls for Hamas disarmament, which Hamas will never accept. It's a different kind of negotiation.
What happens if the talks fail?
The Israeli military has already said it will resume fighting. So you'd have more of what's been happening for two years. More displacement, more death, more families like Orit Baron's standing at a grave on an anniversary.
Is there any reason to think this time is different?
Trump is pushing hard, and both sides are exhausted. But exhaustion alone doesn't solve the fundamental questions about who gets to live where and how. Those are the questions that have been unsolved for decades.