‘Glorious Day of Success’: Hamas Marks October 7 Massacre Anniversary With Rocket Attack on Israeli Community

Latest Developments

• Israel Under Attack Two Years After October 7: Terrorists in Gaza launched a rocket against the southern Israeli community of Netiv Ha’Asara as residents mourned 17 of their neighbors murdered exactly two years ago on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas mass atrocities. More 1,200 people were murdered and 251 others taken hostage during a terrorist onslaught. Survivors described witnessing instances of “brutal sexual violence” carried out by Palestinians against Israeli civilians during the attacks. Marking the anniversary, Hamas celebrated October 7, 2023, as a “glorious day of success” for Palestinians, while memorializing several of its leaders killed by Israel since the war began, including Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Saleh al-Arouri, and Mohammed Deif.
• Witkoff and Kushner To Join Hostage Talks in Egypt: U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to join negotiations in Egypt on October 7 over the Trump administration’s 20-point ceasefire and hostage release proposal. Deliberations are currently underway in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh between delegations from Israel and Hamas over the framework of the deal, which Israel has already accepted. Meanwhile, despite Hamas expressing a willingness to release the remaining Israeli hostages, the group has failed to agree to many aspects of the proposal, including complete disarmament and the surrender of its role in governing a post-war Gaza.
• World Remembers October 7: World leaders and heads of international organizations alike issued solemn statements remembering the victims of the October 7 atrocities. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that “time does not diminish the evil we saw that day. The worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” while French President Emmanuel Macron stated that, “Two years after the unspeakable horror of Hamas terrorism, the pain remains raw. We do not forget.” Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “on this second anniversary of Hamas’s heinous October 7 attacks, the United States remains steadfast in our support for Israel in our common fight against terrorism and our shared commitment to bringing an end to the suffering of all hostages and their families,” while U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL) issued a statement reading, “For hundreds of days, following the October 7 genocide, the Palestinian elected government of Hamas terrorists held and tortured the Americans they did not kill, and held the bodies of those they did kill.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy added his voice, mourning the “horrific October 7th Hamas attack on Israel” and pointing out that “hostages abducted two years ago are still being held captive.”

FDD Expert Response

“The war launched against Israel two years ago featured a made-in-Tehran strategy: Israel surrounded by a “ring of fire” — Hamas, Hezbollah, the former Assad regime in Syria, Shia militias in Iraq, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and various terrorist groups in Judea and Samaria. That strategy has failed. Though Israelis have paid a high price, none of their enemies, for all their celebrating, is stronger today than on October 7, 2023.” — Clifford D. May, Founder and President

“Today marks two years during which Israelis have not known a single day of peace. Meanwhile, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza celebrated the anniversary of the October 7 attacks by launching a rocket at an Israeli border community that was targeted on that terrible day. Hamas could surrender and end this war today — just as the group could have done every day for the past two years — but instead the terror organization continues to doggedly hold on to Israeli hostages and persists with violence and bloodshed at a terrible cost to Gazan civilians.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

FDD Background and Analysis

“‘Hamas Must Move Quickly’: U.S. Demands Hamas Assent to Gaza Peace Deal Terms in Upcoming Negotiations,” FDD Flash Brief

“‘All Hell Will Break Out’: Trump Gives Hamas Final Ultimatum To Accept 20-Step Ceasefire Proposal for Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief

“Is the Trump plan an outcome or a solution?” by Ben Cohen

“Trump Administration Plan for Gaza Puts Unprecedented and Unified Pressure on Hamas,” by Aaron Goren