by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Rocket sirens sounded in southern Israel on Tuesday after fire from Gaza as Israelis began to mark the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack in which Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
The massacre in southern Israel by Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by Israel’s government and most of its allies, was the deadliest single attack in the Jewish nation’s history and was called the “worst atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust,” also known as the Shoah.
At the site of the Nova music festival, where more than 370 people were killed, families observed a minute of silence at 6:29 a.m., the exact time the assault began.
“We live with the trauma every day, but we also stand for life,” a relative of a Nova festival victim told reporters at the site.
Memorial events were also held in devastated kibbutzim such as Be’eri and Kfar Aza, according to eyewitnesses and local media.
THOUSANDS GATHER
In Tel Aviv, thousands rallied to demand the release of hostages still held in Gaza. Posters with the faces of abducted Israelis remain visible at bus stops and in public squares across the country.
However, rocket sirens sounded in southern Israel on Tuesday after fire from Gaza, though no casualties were reported.
The confrontation came as negotiations, mediated by Egypt, continued between Israel and Hamas over a potential ceasefire and prisoner exchange.
The October 7 atrocity, also referred to as “Black Sabbath,” will be observed during Israel’s official national ceremony of remembrance scheduled for October 16 at Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem, following the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, organizers said
As the mourning continues, homes destroyed in 2023 remain charred and abandoned, while some communities have begun rebuilding, still hopeful that peace will emerge one day.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
A Christian pastor detained in Nicaragua since July 2025 has been released from prison but placed under house arrest along with five other Christian believers, Worthy News established on Thursday.
An injured Christian pastor in eastern India says recalling Bible verses gave him strength to survive hours of brutal abuse by a Hindu mob that accused him of converting Hindus to Christianity.
U.S. forces carried out five sets of precision strikes against Islamic State targets across Syria between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, the U.S. military’s U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday.
U.S. forces carried out five sets of precision strikes against Islamic State targets across Syria between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, the U.S. military’s U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced on Feb. 5 that Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, marking the first such swap in five months and the most tangible outcome yet from U.S.-brokered talks held in Abu Dhabi. The exchange followed multiple days of trilateral negotiations involving delegations from Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow.
The Supreme Court of the United States on Wednesday declined to take up a legal challenge to California’s newly drawn congressional map, allowing the state to proceed with district lines that effectively eliminate five Republican-held U.S. House seats.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran has entered negotiations with the United States because it fears potential military action, as both sides prepare for high-stakes talks expected to take place in Oman. Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Trump said Tehran “doesn’t want us to hit them,” adding that a U.S. naval fleet is in the region as pressure increases.