As Israel mourns Hamas attack, Shashi Tharoor calls for end to Gaza horror
Thousands of people converged on southern Israel on Tuesday to mourn the dead as the nation marked two years since Hamas’ October 7 attack, which plunged the region into one of the bloodiest and most destabilizing conflicts in decades.
A plume of smoke rises in the background as Palestinians return from a food distribution point near the Netsarim corridor in the central Gaza Strip.(Eyad Baba/AFP)
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also weighed in on the grim anniversary, posting on X, “It’s been two years since the terrorist attack on Israel, and the brutal assault on Gaza that followed. A day to bow our heads in prayer and remembrance for all the lives lost, the destruction of homes and hope. And a fervent wish that the horror ends — very soon.”
The attack, the worst in Israel’s history, saw thousands of Hamas terrorists pour into southern Israel after a surprise rocket barrage, storming army bases, farming communities and the Nova music festival.
Around 1,200 people, mostly civilians including women, children and older adults, were killed, and 251 others abducted.
Forty-eight hostages remain inside Gaza, with around 20 believed to still be alive.
Hamas has said it will release them only in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep fighting until all captives are freed and Hamas is dismantled.
The main memorial on Tuesday was held at the scene of one of the worst massacres – the Nova music festival site near Reim, where nearly 400 people were killed and dozens abducted.
There was no official ceremony due to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, but survivors and bereaved families gathered at dawn for a moment of silence as the same music playing when the attack began stopped at exactly 6.29 am.
People embraced, shared memories and voiced their grief. “We are reliving this every day anew, every day we remember them,” said Alon Muskinov, 28, who lost three close friends in the attack.
Across Gaza, meanwhile, explosions echoed as Israel pressed ahead with military operations.
Tens of thousands have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory offensive, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, and vast swathes of the territory have been reduced to rubble.
The war has displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population, triggering a severe hunger crisis that experts say has pushed parts of Gaza City into famine.
The legacy of Oct. 7 has reshaped the region: Israel has fought battles with Iran and its allies, struck top militants and Iranian generals, and seized territory in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
