Israel marks October 7 anniversary as talks held to end Gaza war

JERUSALEM, October 8 ------ Israel marks the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Tuesday, as Hamas and Israeli negotiators hold indirect talks to end the two-year war in Gaza under a US proposed peace plan. Two years ago, at the close of the Jewish festival of Sukkot, Hamas-led militants launched a surprise assault on Israel, making it the deadliest day in the country’s history.

Palestinian fighters breached the Gaza-Israel border, storming southern Israeli communities and a desert music festival with gunfire, rockets and grenades. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Militants also abducted 251 hostages into Gaza, of whom 47 remain captive, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead. Memorial events were scheduled in Israel on Tuesday to mark the anniversary. Many Israelis went to the Nova festival site on Monday. “It was a very difficult and enormous incident that happened here,” Elad Gancz, a teacher, told AFP as he mourned the dead. “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 due in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where weekly rallies have kept up calls for the captives’ release. A state-organized commemoration is planned for Oct. 16.

Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza by air, land and sea continues unabated, leaving tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and vast destruction. Hundreds of thousands of homeless Gazans now shelter in overcrowded camps and open areas with little access to food, water or sanitation. After two years of conflict, 72 percent of the Israeli public said they were dissatisfied with the government’s handling of the war, according to a recent survey by the Institute for National Security Studies.

Herculean Task

Israel has expanded its military reach over the course of the war, striking targets in five regional capitals, including Iran, and killing several senior Hamas figures and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel and Hamas now face mounting international pressure to end the war, with a UN probe last month accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and rights groups accusing Hamas of war crimes in the October 7 attack. Both sides reject the allegations. Indirect talks began Monday in Egypt’s resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, with mediators shuttling between delegations under tight security.

Al-Qahera News, which is linked to Egyptian state intelligence, said the discussions were focused on “preparing ground conditions” for a hostage-prisoner exchange under Trump’s plan. A Palestinian source close to Hamas negotiators said the talks, which opened on the eve of the October 7 anniversary, may last for several days. Trump has urged negotiators to “move fast” to end the war in Gaza, where Israeli strikes continued on Monday.

The US president 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. It’s pretty amazing, actually.” Although both sides have welcomed Trump’s proposal, reaching an agreement on its details is expected to be a Herculean task.

Source: manilatimes.net