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Hamas’ response came on the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks on Israel, in which 1,219 people were killed. Israel and Hamas held talks in Egypt to end the two-year war.
People lift placards and portraits of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip since 2023 on the second anniversary of the Hamas-led Oct 7 attack. (AFP)
As Israel and Hamas began indirect peace talks in Egypt on the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks, the Palestinian militant group called the assault a “historic response” to Israel’s actions to “eradicate” the Palestinian cause.
Hamas launched a surprise attack called Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages being taken. The attacks triggered a devastating military response by Israel, which killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and reduced Gaza to rubble, leading to a widespread humanitarian crisis.
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“We reaffirm that the Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7 was a historic response to attempts to eradicate the Palestinian cause,” Fawzi Barhoum, a senior Hamas official, said in a televised speech.
He also said Hamas was working to “surmount all obstacles” to sealing a deal in Egypt. “”The delegation of the movement participating in the current negotiations in Egypt seeks to surmount all obstacles to achieving an agreement that fulfils the aspirations of our people in Gaza.”
Israel Marks Second Anniversary Of Oct 7 Attacks
Meanwhile, dozens of relatives and friends of those killed at the Nova music festival lit candles and held a moment of silence at the site of the attack, where Hamas-led militants killed more than 370 people and seized dozens of hostages.
Orit Baron, whose daughter Yuval was killed at the festival with her fiance Moshe Shuva, told AFP that October 7 was a “black” day for her family. “Now it’s two years. And I’m here to be with her, because this is the last time that she was alive,” she said.
Another ceremony has been planned in the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, which has become a site for protests demanding the government to bring back hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack. In the aftermath of the attacks, it has become a place to express solidarity with the families of the hostages, express grief and demand action.
A UN probe last month accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, while rights groups have accused Hamas of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the October 7 attack. Both sides reject the allegations.
Israel-Hamas Talks
Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas began on Monday at Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, marking a fresh attempt to end the nearly two-year war in Gaza under a US-brokered peace plan.
Last week, US President Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan calling for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The plan received positive responses from both Israel and Hamas and prompted talks in Egypt.
Trump, who unveiled the peace blueprint last week, said resolving the Gaza crisis could “reset the Middle East peace process.” Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi praised the effort, calling it vital to preserving regional stability.
(with inputs from AFP)
About the Author
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
Jerusalem, Israel
October 07, 2025, 19:17 IST
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