Trump optimistic about Gaza peace deal – as Israelis mark October 7 anniversary
Donald Trump has expressed optimism about ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, as Israelis mourned those killed two years after the October 7 attacks.
The US president described the negotiations as “very serious”, adding: “I think there’s a possibility we could have peace in the Middle East”.
Latest updates from the war in Gaza
One of the key mediators, Qatar’s prime minister, along with senior American diplomats Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will now head to Egypt to join the third day of indirect negotiations between the Palestinian militant group and Israel.
Memorial events took place around the world on Tuesday, including in Israel, as grieving families gathered and relatives hoped a ceasefire deal could see the remaining hostages freed.
Activists in Brazil set up an installation on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro showing hostages. Pic: Reuters
Images of hostages are displayed at a memorial event at Boston University. Pic: Reuters
It has been two years since thousands of Hamas-led militants poured into southern Israel after a surprise barrage of rockets.
They stormed army bases, farming communities and the outdoor Nova music festival, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, including women, children and older adults.
The attack plunged the region into a devastating war, including a brutal retaliatory offensive by Israel on Gaza that has left tens of thousands of people dead, turned entire towns and cities to rubble, triggered a widespread famine and displaced around 90% of the population.
Hamas abducted 251 others, most of whom have since been released in ceasefires or other deals, with 48 hostages remaining inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive.
Gazans reflect on two years of war
Israel mourns October 7 victims
In Tel Aviv, dozens gathered at a memorial site that was set up in a city square.
Others visited the scene of the Nova music festival in the border community of Reim, where nearly 400 Israelis were killed and where portraits of the kidnapped and dead have been erected.
Thousands of people visited throughout the day to share memories of relatives and friends who were killed.
Mourners gathered at a memorial at the site of the Nova music festival. Pic: AP
Portraits of the kidnapped and dead at the site of the Nova festival. Pic: Reuters
A girl walks through an installation of flowers at the site of the Nova festival. Pic: Reuters
Pro-Palestinian rallies, opposing Israel’s actions in Gaza, were also held in several European cities including Paris, Geneva, Athens, Istanbul, Stockholm, and London.
Sir Keir Starmer labelled the UK protests as “un-British” and said they showed a lack of respect.
Is it ‘un-British’ to hold protests on October 7?
Hamas wants ‘guarantees’
On the second day of talks, top Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya told Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV the group had come “to engage in serious and responsible negotiations”.
He said Hamas was ready to reach a deal, yet it needed a “guarantee” to end the war and ensure “it is not repeated”.
US officials have suggested the talks should initially focus on the first phase: halting the fighting and working out logistics for the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Read more from Sky News:
Two lives torn apart by the Hamas attack
Trump’s Gaza peace plan explained
Israelis and Palestinians grieve two years on
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani of Qatar said he would attend the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh “with the aim of pushing forward the Gaza ceasefire plan and hostage release agreement”.
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The failure by Hamas to return hostages has left Israel deeply divided, with weekly mass protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
It has also left Israel more isolated internationally than it has been in decades.
‘Hunger and starvation was worst thing’
The war has already killed over 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants.
Experts and major rights groups have accused Israel of genocide – something Israel vehemently denies.
The International Criminal Court is seeking the arrest of Mr Netanyahu and his former defence minister for allegedly using starvation as a method of war.
