FAMILIES have gathered to remember their loved ones on the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks as they pray for an end to the Gaza War.
Commemorative events were held in smashed kibbutz villages across the south of Israel exactly two years after Hamas savages detonated the conflict by slaughtering 1,200 people.
Two people embrace in front of a memorial for the victims of the October 7 attacks at the Nova Festival grounds in Reim
Families take part in vigil on the second anniversary at the site of the Nova Festival massacre in Israel
A man sits amid tributes to the victims of the attacks on the two-year anniversary
A woman holds onto a picture of a loved one who was killed on October 7
But the thoughts of those gathering to mourn were also with the remaining hostages in Gaza whose lives now depend on Donald Trump’s peace deal.
Trump has been between Hamas and Israel for months now.
He has laid out a 20-point plan which is yet to be signed off by Hamas as peace talks continue over in Egypt this week.
One of the main stipulations is the in Hamas captivity.
Only around 20 of 48 captives still in the blitz Hamas stronghold are alive but Israel is adamant they want every body regardless before agreeing to .
The biggest anniversary event being held today is just two miles from the Gaza frontier in Re’im.
This was the site of the Nova Festival site where around 400 young ravers were massacred on October 7.
Relatives began gathering soon after dawn around a sprawling shrine emblazoned with pictures of their loved ones.
Many wept as they walked among the sea of young faces – and confessed they were still struggling to process their grief two years on.
Among them were the family of Noa Farage, a 22-year-old surfing fanatic who staged a farewell party at the Nova event ahead of a planned backpacking trip to Thailand.
But she never made the dream trip and was among died in the first hour of the war which had raged on for two bloody years.
Her mum Vicky, dad David and brothers Sean, 34, and 37-year-old Tom gathered around a picture of Noa to celebrate her life yesterday.
The constant staccato boom of outgoing artillery fire towards Gaza pierced the air along with the distant crump of falling bombs as the family hugged and prayed.
Vicky said: “I don’t feel anger – I just feel terrible sadness while I recall beautiful memories.
“We felt it was important to come here today to this dignified place.”
Sean said: “No was such a happy positive person and we all want to live our lives like she did – that’s how we remember her.
“She had saved up to go to Thailand but never made it.”
Tom added: “It’s hard to believe that the war is still going on two years after Noa died. We want this war to end for everyone’s sake.”
An Israeli army soldier walks past memorials of victims
A family sits around memorials at the Nova festival surrounded by flowers and touching tributes
Orit Baron, whose daughter Yuval was killed at the festival alongside her fiance Moshe Shuva described October 7 as a “black” day.
The emotional mother said: “Now it’s two years. And I’m here to be with her, because this is the last time that she was alive.”
The main memorial ceremony has been organised by bereaved families in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square.
A separate government memorial will also be held on the Hebrew calendar anniversary next week.
Meanwhile, Hamas was reported to have demanded the release of its captured “special forces” terrorists who led the October 7 massacres.
The group is said to have called for their names to be added to the list of Palestinians to be freed as part of Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
I visited kibbutz where Hamas slaughtered families… what I saw made my blood run cold
By , Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital)
WALKING across endless charred rubble and looking up at more bullet holes than I could count, my stomach turned.
For almost seven decades, in southern was a haven for its 400 residents.
But their paradise just a mile from the Gaza border .
Dozens of terrorists stormed the village – killing at random and inflicting a wound that may never fully heal in one of the darkest days in Israel’s history.
Walking around this gut-wrenching crime scene is not for the faint-hearted.
Like many of us, I’ve seen countless photos and videos of the kibbutz – each one more sickening than the last.
But nothing could have prepared me for seeing the area that should be filled with life and instead bears the scars of inconceivable horror in person.
Aside from the occasional cry from a cat or the soft sound of wind chimes, the silence in the kibbutz is deafening.
Once a close-knit community where children grew up and adults grew old, every aspect of human life has been shattered.
Rows of modest, single-storey homes sit burnt-out in a harrowing reminder of Hamas’ callous actions.
But Israeli sources warned the demand could scupper any chance of a deal – which was hoped to lead to hostages walking free by the end of the week.
The terror group’s block came despite he would allow Israeli forces to unleash hell in their last Gaza City stronghold if they failed to agree to his offer.
Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir warned today that if negotiations fail, the military will “return to fighting” in Gaza.
But Trump has insisted there had still been “tremendous progress” in peace talks in Egypt adding he was “pretty sure” agreement could be reached.
It comes as reports from Israel claimed a rocket had been fired into an Israeli town which was raided by Hamas thugs in 2023.
A projectile was found close to Netiv HaAsara, a small farming community on Gaza’s northern border this Tuesday morning, the Israeli military said.
No injuries were reported to civilians or their homes.
How Brit ‘windowsill baby’ survived Oct 7 in horror 8-hour rampage
A BABY miraculously survived the October 7 attacks as Hamas terrorists burned down his family’s home and slaughtered their neighbours.
Young Kai Mintz, globally remembered as the “windowsill baby”, was just ten days old when he was trapped in the middle of an eight-hour terror rampage in 2023.
The family’s belongings were all torched by Hamas fighters as they were forced to hide in a safe room fending off the fiends.
On the anniversary of the depraved day of horrors, Kai has been seen waving and smiling alongside his family as they speak to The Sun.
The Mintz family recall fighting for their lives as Hamas operatives tried to murder them in cold blood.
Kai’s British grandmother, Deborah Mintz, 60, had travelled from the UK to visit her daughter and newborn grandson that weekend.
She never imagined she’d be trapped in a smoke-filled safe room as dozens of men tried to break in with weapons.
She admitted to The Sun: “I wasn’t really there. It was just like preparing yourself to die.”
Mrs Mintz says the whole family were left in shock and feeling dissociated after hearing their small dog, Mickey, scream as he was burning to death in the flaming house.
It was baby Kai who gave the terrified family the strength to keep fighting in the face of the murderous fiends at their door.
As thick, black smoke filled the room, Aimee desperately ran over to the small window to allow Kai to breathe in some fresh air.
An image of a sleeping Kai laying on the window frame quickly circulated online.
This life-saving choice by his mum kept Kai alive over a gruelling eight-hour standoff with members of the terror group.
“Somehow we made it work,” Aimee said.
Two couples embrace at the festival site
A map handed out by the White House showing the phases of withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip 
