It has been two years since Hamas's attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

In a statement released a short while ago, the armed Palestinian group describes the months since its 7 October attacks as "two years of pain, injustice, oppression and great suffering, of heavy costs".

The group says the deaths of "defenceless civilians" in Gaza have been met with "shameful international silence" and "unprecedented Arab abandonment".

The statement also pays tribute to the Hamas members who have died - including Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli troops in October 2024.

• A reminder: The US, UK, Israel and many other nations have designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem

Here in Jerusalem, dozens of people have joined a march calling for the return of the hostages.

I’ve just been speaking to Bar and Atalia Regev, who say they cannot stay at home today.

On 7 October 2023, they were messaging a friend in Kibbutz Be’eri near the Gaza border, which was targeted in the attacks, and remember the anxious wait for the WhatsApp ticks on their messages to turn blue, showing that they had been read.

"It was terrifying. Our friend was in big danger… We just wanted to help," Bar tells me.

"We heard from her what’s going on – that everybody is shouting and there are rockets and they’re afraid to go out. She put headphones on her children. They were in the safe room for 12 hours."

The following day, Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel, where the couple live, saying it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The longstanding conflict escalated and led to an intense Israeli air campaign across Lebanon, and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon - a ceasefire came into effect in November 2024.

"We didn’t have any regular life for a long time. It was really, really hard," Atalia says.

The couple say they have always supported peace but are fearful of Israel withdrawing from Gaza.

"We have trust issues after October 7," Atalia says.

"We need to do every compromise needed for the hostages to come back home, but we really want assurances that we will be safe. Especially those of us that live on Israel’s borders."

Tom Bennett
Reporting from Jerusalem

As we've been reporting, indirect talks between Israel and Hamas began in Egypt yesterday and have now resumed for a second day.

It is the closest both sides have come to a deal since the war began.

But Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan - which Israel has agreed to and Hamas has partly accepted - is really just a framework, only a few pages long.

And there are still major sticking points for both sides to resolve:

• Hostage release structure. Hamas has agreed to the hostage exchange detailed in Trump's plan, providing certain "field conditions" are met. But the hostages are the group's only bargaining chip - and it's unclear whether it would be willing to release them before other elements of the deal are finalised
• Hamas disarmament. Netanyahu has repeatedly stated he will not stop until the group is finished, and a key point in Trump's plan requires the group to disarm. But Hamas made no mention of disarmament in its response to the plan - fuelling speculation that it has not changed its position
• Future governance of Gaza. The plan states Gaza would be governed by a temporary transitional body of Palestinian technocrats involving international leaders, and then eventually be handed over to the Palestinian Authority (PA). But Netanyahu has pushed back on involvement of the PA, insisting it would play no role in governance
• Israeli withdrawal. The wording in the White House's proposed plan for withdrawal, illustrated in three stages, is vague and gives no clear timeline for full Israeli withdrawal. Hamas will likely want to clarify this

Continue reading about the key obstacles for the negotiating teams.

Wael Hussein
BBC News, Cairo

It's now 12:00 local time in Egypt (10:00 BST) and the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have now resumed.

Before the second day of negotiations began, Egypt's foreign minister said the Sharm el-Sheikh talks would be focused on establishing a security mechanism for Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza and ensuring unrestricted humanitarian access through UN channels.

He added that the negotiations aim to advance a two-state solution, unify the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and end the war and famine.

Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent, reporting from Istanbul

A senior Palestinian official familiar with the peace plan talks in Egypt tells the BBC that indirect negotiations will resume in Sharm el-Sheikh, at 12:00 Cairo time (10:00 BST).

They say the talks will focus on issues related to a ceasefire and creating favourable conditions for a hostages prisoner exchange and Israeli withdrawals.

The official says the discussions were “positive” last night, with the first round lasting around four and half hours.

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Re'im

"I heard 'Allahu Akbar' and there were many people over there, over us and outside,” says former hostage Ohad Ben Ami as he shows me inside the safe room of what was his dream home in Be'eri, in southern Israel.

Two years ago, he and his wife, Raz, rushed here to escape a missile attack only to find that Hamas gunmen had overrun their close-knit kibbutz.

After two hours, the door was smashed open, and he expected to be shot or lynched. But instead, he was dragged away to nearby Gaza, still dressed in his T-shirt and boxer shorts.

Ohad’s daughter, Ella, then 23, soon saw a picture on social media. In tears, she called Israel’s Channel 12.

“I need help, they kidnapped my father,” she said. “They took him to Gaza.”

It marked the start of the Israeli hostage crisis and her family’s trauma.

Raz was held captive but was released after 54 days in the first ceasefire of the war. Ohad spent 16 months as a hostage, emerging emaciated from a tunnel in February during the last deal with Hamas. Five younger men held with him remain in captivity: Elkana Bohbot, Maykim Harkin, Segev Kalfon, Yosef Ohana, and Bar Kupershtein.

“It's been very hard for me until now because I miss my five friends — they're like sons to me,” says Ohad.

He is “very optimistic” about new ceasefire efforts.

“I ask my government to do the deal and embrace it with both arms. You must get all the hostages out. They are in very bad physical and mental condition,” he says. “The first thing you must do as a government is bring them home. Stop the bombing, sit at the table, and reach an agreement.”

Image source, Reuters

In its latest update, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says the death toll since Israel launched a military campaign in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 has risen to 67,173.

The ministry says that 25 out of 38 hospitals are no longer able to operate, with the remaining 13 operating partially "in difficult conditions".

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry adds that at least 460 Palestinians have died from the effects of malnutrition since the start of the war, including 154 children.

Elsewhere, witnesses say there has been intense Israeli bombardment across Gaza since the early hours of Tuesday morning, particularly in the Tal al-Hawa, Rimal, Sheikh Radwan, Nasr, Nafaq neighbourhoods of Gaza City.

Details of these strikes include:

• Al-Shifa hospital said three people were killed in an Israeli strike in the southern al-Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City
• The official Palestinian news agency Wafa, external reported that there was an Israeli air strike overnight in Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza, without mentioning any casualties
• It also said Israeli forces blew up residential buildings in the southern city of Khan Younis on Monday evening

Image source, Reuters

Not far from Kibbutz Re'im, where our Middle East correspondent has been this morning, we're seeing some fresh pictures from another community that came under attack on 7 October.

At Kibbutz Kfar Aza, which lies near the border with Gaza, community members have lowered the Israeli flag to half mast as an act of remembrance.

It was here on 7 October 2023 that Hamas fighters stormed in, burning homes and killing families, the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen reported at the time on the aftermath.

At least 62 residents were killed and 19 people were taken hostage.

Image source, Reuters

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Re'im

Image source, Reuters

I'm in Re'im, southern Israel, not very far from what was the main stage of the Nova Music Festival two years ago.

All around me, memorials have been put up showing the individuals who were killed that day - displaying photos of them and their stories.

Their loved ones have come back to pay their respects and remember what had happened. There are survivors who were at the Nova Festival here as well.

It's exactly two years now since what was a big party at this festival turned into a killing ground, when those Hamas fighters broke across the borders from Gaza and began attacking.

People are pointing out that there are still hostages - some of them taking from the festival - who are still in Gaza.

It's an extremely moving day. All around me, people are having their own private moment of remembrance.

There are less large formal events today than we saw this time last year.

Later, there will be a big rally in Hostages Square, Tel Aviv. There's also been an informal demand for people to sound their car horns.

We have had the Israeli military say they are on high alert through the course of today. And from southern Israel, we've also been hearing thuds of explosions from Gaza - reminding us that the war isn't over.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Tel Aviv

Image source, Reuters

I met yesterday with Dalia Cusnir whose brother-in-law Eitan Horn was kidnapped on 7 October 2023 and remains in Gaza - one of 20 hostages believed to be alive.

Eitan was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz along with his brother Iair, who was released from captivity in the ceasefire deal earlier this year. The brothers were held together for almost all of that time.

“Iair came back with a huge sense of guilt. He says, ‘How can I have my coffee, eat, drink, sleep in a clean bed?’” she says. “Iair’s only request in this life is to be able to hug his brother again.”

Dalia says Eitan told Iair to pass on a message to the family that they should get on with their lives and be happy.

“We’re ignoring this message… We’re struggling and fighting. We’ll bring him here and all the hostages, and then we can live our lives and be happy,” she says.

“On October 7, I stopped being myself. I stopped saying my name’s Dalia Cusnir and I do this and that, and I study this and that, and I have hobbies. I’m just the sister-in-law of Iair and Eitan, and now luckily we have Iair back, so I’m the sister-in-law of Eitan.”

Dalia has joined other hostage families who have gathered near Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, demanding that their loved ones are returned.

“We’re fighting and we’re going to keep fighting until the last one,” she says.

“It’s not only about releasing the hostages and stopping the war, it’s also about a plan for the day after. There are around two million people in Gaza and they need a new tomorrow.”

Our colleagues this morning have been speaking to some of the families of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza following the Hamas-led 7 October attack.

Of the 251 people taken on 7 October 2023, there are believed to be 48 hostages still being held in the Palestinian territory, 20 of whom are thought to be alive.

Releasing the remaining hostages has been at the forefront of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demands.

In its response to Donald Trump's plan for peace, Hamas agreed to release all remaining Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, but the group has asked for further negotiations on a number of issues outlined in his peace plan.

Lucy Williamson
Middle East correspondent, reporting from the Nova festival site

Image source, Reuters

Loud explosions and heavy machine gun fire are echoing around the Nova festival site.

Two years on from the 7 October attacks, grief over Israel’s victims is still marked to the soundtrack of bombing in the war next door.

In the past two years, this site has transformed from a tattered scene of raw violence to the manicured memorial it is today.

On my first visit here, days after the attacks, these fields were in chaos - tents torn to pieces, debris strewn all around, cars burnt out, and bodies of Hamas fighters lying uncollected along the road.

Now neat lines of memorials stand garnished with flowers, tributes and candles, stretching out under the trees, one for each of the victims.

The past two years have changed Israel too - the moment of unity sparked by these attacks has dissolved into a deeply divided country, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - once known as Mr Security - tries to persuade Israelis he didn’t fail them that day.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

We're now hearing from the UN chief, who calls for an immediate and unconditional release of all the remaining Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza.

In a statement on X, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the way to honour the memory of the victims of the 7 October attacks is by working towards "a just and lasting peace".

Such a peace would see Israelis, Palestinians and others in the region "live side by side in security, dignity and mutual respect", the UN chief adds.

As he highlights US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, Guterres says it "presents an opportunity that must be seized to bring this tragic conflict to an end".

"A permanent ceasefire and a credible political process are essential to prevent further bloodshed & pave the way for peace."

As we've been reporting, today marks two years since the deadly 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Here, our Middle East correspondent Yolande Knell and Gaza correspondent Rushdi Abualouf share their memories of the day as it unfolded.

• Listen to the full episode on BBC's Global News Podcast

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Tel Aviv

The mother of an Israeli man taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023 says she still does not know if her son is dead or alive, but has "real hope" that US President Donald Trump's peace plan will bring the return of all the hostages held in Gaza.

Herut Nimrodi told BBC News she was "fearing the worst" for her son Tamir, a non-combat soldier, but she was clinging to hope that "he's still hanging on" - two years after his abduction.

She said he was the only Israeli hostage whose family had not been told if they were alive or dead.

Indirect talks on the US peace plan are expected to continue today between Hamas and Israel to end the war and return the hostages.

"They have been trying to create an agreement for a while but it didn't take off. This time it feels different," Nimrodi said. "There is real hope that this is the one, this is the last deal."

You can read on in my story and there's more on the Israel-Hamas talks in our previous post.

Image source, Reuters

In Egypt:

• Yesterday afternoon, Israel and Hamas began their indirect talks in Egypt, aimed at ending the fighting in Gaza
• Negotiators in Sharm El-Sheikh are considering Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan - Israel has agreed to the proposals, while Hamas has accepted some but not all conditions
• Earlier in the day, the Red Cross had said it was ready to help return hostages and get aid into Gaza

In Gaza:

• The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed they carried out a series of air strikes on a "number" of targets in Gaza City
• The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said a further 21 Palestinians were killed between Sunday and Monday, bringing the death toll in the territory to 67,160 since the start of the war

In Israel:

• Israel deported Greta Thunberg and 170 other pro-Palestinian activists who were detained when Israeli forces intercepted a flotilla trying to breach its naval blockade of Gaza to deliver aid last week
• So far, Israel's foreign ministry has announced the deportations of 341 of the 479 people who were on board the 42 boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF)

Image source, EPA

Marking two years since the Hamas-led 7 October attack and the massive military campaign that Israel launched in its aftermath, the UN's Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa) has shared figures detailing the scale of devastation.

Here are a few of the UN agency's key statistics:

• Over 66,100 people reported killed, including at least 18,430 children
• Up to one million people have sheltered in Unrwa facilities, at least 845 of which were killed whilst sheltering

• Over 370 Unrwa staff have been killed
• Nearly 80% of structures across the Strip have been damaged or destroyed
• Less than 40% of hospitals remain functional, all partially
• Nearly 90% of the water and sanitation assets have been either destroyed or damaged

Unrwa's reported casualty figures are from 1 October 2025. The agency states that the fatality breakdowns are those that have been confirmed - out of the higher number of casualties reported by Gaza's Hamas-run heath ministry.

Gazans torn between fatigue and fading hope as war enters third yearpublished at 07:43 BST 7 October

07:43 BST 7 October

Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent, reporting from Istanbul

Image source, Reuters

Most in Gaza, including me, never imagined that the war would drag on for two full years.

Yet from the very first hours after Hamas’s unprecedented 7 October attack, many residents realised that Israel would launch a retaliatory campaign unlike any before.

In almost every conversation in Gaza, one haunting question has echoed without a clear answer: “When will the war end?”

Despite cautious signs of progress in the ongoing talks between Hamas and Israel in Egypt, few people dare to hope.

Many now describe the negotiations as perhaps the most consequential yet, a rare moment when an end to the fighting may just be within reach.

Since US President Donald Trump unveiled his latest ceasefire proposal, the dominant mood in Gaza has shifted from anger to exhaustion.

Most voices emerging from the devastated enclave now urge Hamas to accept the deal - they are simply tired of death, displacement and hunger.

There is a growing perception that Hamas has prioritised its own survival over that of its people.

That feeling has deepened the Palestinian divide that began immediately after Hamas’s 7 October attack, when criticism of the group surged and many blamed it for the unprecedented devastation that followed.

Two years on, the split is sharper than ever between Hamas loyalists who still defend the movement to the core, and a war-weary majority of Gazans who have lost patience with endless destruction and despair.

Two years since the Hamas-led 7 October attack on Israel, the fighting on the ground continues.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has detected a missile projected into Israeli territory from northern Gaza.

It comes after sirens were heard in Netiv Haasara, in southern Israel, the Israeli army says.

No injuries have so far been reported. Hamas has yet to comment on the reports.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, EPA

I’ve been hearing from people in Gaza about what two years of war have done to their lives, and their thoughts on Trump’s peace proposal as the indirect talks continue in Egypt.

In a WhatsApp message, student Tala El Mughrabi said she lived “every day dreaming that tomorrow will be better than today”.

She said she was hopeful that Trump’s plan would result in an end to the war, but said the ongoing “sound of explosions here killed all our joy”.

“We really want the war to stop immediately and for Gaza to be rebuilt,” she wrote.

“The fear that I have is that Israel will take the hostages but keep the war going and we will keep being displaced. We want guarantees that Israel will stop this war.”

As a reminder, yesterday, as indirect talks between Hamas and Israel began, the IDF confirmed it had carried out a series of strikes on Gaza City, while the Hamas-run health ministry said a further 21 Palestinians were killed between Sunday and Monday.