Second anniversary of Hamas attack on Israel, start of Gaza war, marked around the world

Thousands of people in Israel marked the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, which began the war on Gaza, as world leaders reiterated calls for a ceasefire.

The commemorations took place as Israel continued with its genocidal assault on Gaza, which has killed over 67,000 people so far.

Former Kibbutz residents who were caught in Hamas' attack on 7 October 2023, such as those in Nir Oz, Be'eri and Nir Yitzak, returned on Monday and Tuesday to commemorate the anniversary. Israelis also went to the site of the Supernova Festival to commemorate the attack.

Other Israelis marked the occasion, which saw the killing 1,219 people and the taking of 251 captives into Gaza, with a moment of silence.

Protests calling for a ceasefire and a release of the remaining captives in Gaza were also held, including outside the homes of government ministers, including Defence Minister Israel Katz and Environment Protection Minister Idit Silman, which saw scuffles with the police.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main group representing Israeli captives held in Gaza, will mark the occasion at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv at 9pm.

In a statement, the group reiterated its calls for the release of the remaining 48 captives, saying "the living need rehabilitation, and the deceased deserve burial in their homeland."

Only around 20 of the 48 are believed to be still alive.

In Gaza, Palestinians continued to bear the brunt of Israel's two-year war, with at least 10 Palestinians being killed by Israeli fire since dawn.

Israel's continued bombardment of the enclave comes amid ongoing indirect ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel in Egypt.

The UN's agency for Palestine Refugees UNRWA, the main humanitarian body that has been operating in the Palestinian territories since the 1948 Nakba, reiterated its calls for a ceasefire.

"Two years of war in Gaza. Two years too long," the agency said in a post on X, adding that it was "time to release all the hostages in Gaza and Palestinian detainees."

In 2024, Israel banned UNRWA from operating in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.

Hamas marked the second anniversary with spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum justifying its attacks as "a historic response to attempts to eradicate the Palestinian cause."

"For two years, the Palestinian people in Gaza have suffered a war of extermination, starvation, total destruction and ethnic cleansing, in the ugliest assault in modern history."

He added that Israel's creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank "reveal the genuine face of the occupation – a brutal, expansionist power which poses a threat to security and stability – both regionally and internationally," and that the group would continue confronting Israel.

Abdullah Al-Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, told The New Arab's Arabic language sister site Alaraby Aljadeed that since 7 October tens of thousands of Palestinians have been detained in both the West Bank and Gaza.

He said: "The October 7 operation did not occur in the West Bank, yet killing, arrests, land confiscation, uprooting of trees, and installation of checkpoints continue. What is happening is the execution of a longstanding strategic plan aimed at expelling the Palestinians."

World leaders

World leaders issued statements on the anniversary of the outbreak of the war, which has been described as a genocide by a UN commission.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that he shared the pain of the families of Israeli's held captive in Gaza, and called for a ceasefire in Gaza, which he described as a "humanitarian catastrophe on a scale that defies comprehension."

"On this solemn anniversary, let us honour the memory of all the victims by working for the only path forward: a just and lasting peace, in which Israelis, Palestinians, and all the peoples of the region live side by side in security, dignity and mutual respect."

European leaders also issued statements on the anniversary of the attack, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who focused solely on Israeli casualties, saying that "time does not diminish the evil we saw that day."

He reiterated his calls to release Israeli hostages and allow the entry of aid into Gaza and said he wanted "a ceasefire that can lead to a lasting and just peace as a step towards a two-State solution". 

Several countries, including the UK, Canada, France and Australia, have recently recognised a Palestinian state.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also called for a ceasefire, saying "we call on all parties to engage constructively in the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, in the context of the plan put forward by [US President Donald Trump]".

"This moment must be seized to pave the way for a lasting peace in the region, based on the two-state solution."

French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, also issued statements commemorating the attack, largely focusing on Israeli hostages, with Macron and Meloni issuing calls for a ceasefire, and Merz saying he had "hope in the peace process".

Anniversary protests

Pro-Palestine protests were also held in several Western countries, with students at London universities marching in the capital against the war on Gaza.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer launched a lengthy attack on pro-Palestine protesters, amid fears of a crackdown, calling them "un-British" in an opinion piece for The Times.

In Australia, a protest for Gaza due to be held in Sydney was condemned by the premier of New South Wales who claimed that it was "shockingly insensitive".

In the Italian city of Bologna, a pro-Palestine protest was banned by the city, the local prefect telling reporters that "the demonstration will be absolutely prohibited."

Protests were also held in Amsterdam and Jakarta, and are expected to be held in Paris, Geneva, Athens, Thessaloniki, Istanbul and Stockholm.