Up next
Author
Share this @internewscast.com
FacebookXRedditPinterest
On the morning of 7 October 2023, Natalie Sanandaji, a survivor of the Nova festival, recalls waking up “to the sound of rockets being intercepted overhead”.
Despite the impending tragedy, where over 360 lives would be lost and many taken hostage, attendees remained mostly composed.
“I tell people to envision a festival anywhere in the world, with attendees witnessing rockets intercepted right above them,” she shared in an interview with SBS Hebrew.
“Consider how calmly they respond. This wouldn’t likely occur elsewhere. Yet, for Israelis, this is a harsh reality.”
The militants also seized 251 hostages, 47 of whom are still in Gaza. Of those, the Israeli military says 25 are dead.
Since then, more than 66,000 people have been killed in Gaza, the majority of whom are civilians, according to Palestinian authorities.
Sanandaji spoke about the shock of what she saw that day, her instinct to protect her mother from distress, and the split-second decisions that saved her life.
“People had been partying all night. As the sun rose, they would have seen paragliders coming in from the direction of Gaza. Then they would have heard gunshots,” she recalled.
Sanandaji said people at the festival “took a while to realise that there were terrorists inside of Israel”.
“When we started evacuating to our cars, we still thought it was just rockets,” she said.
“We started driving out and if you can imagine, there was a little over 3,000 people at this festival. Majority were leaving at the same time. Some left first, some that were more nervous.

“Unfortunately, a lot of those did not survive because they were the first ones to meet the terrorists face-to-face”.

Sanandaji’s mother called her, knowing she was at a festival, but she said she lied about how much danger she was in, not wanting to tell her the truth until she was home safe.
“I lied to her. I told her I was at a different festival. I told her that everything was okay and I told her I was actually on my way home,” she said.
Speaking about why she wants to continue sharing her story about the life-changing, traumatic incident, Sanandaji said she believes telling her story is a gift.
“When it comes to my voice, specifically, not just as a Nova survivor, but also as a Persian Jew, as someone whose family fled persecution from the Islamic regime when it came into power, I think the purpose of my voice is to teach people history, to show people that history is repeating itself,” she said.

“Because what I’ve realised from most of my activism is that [the] majority of the population has not been taught history.”

‘Remember lives stolen’
Meanwhile, Australian Jewish organisations are also commemorating the two-year anniversary of October 7, but the diversity of sentiment shows ongoing community division around Israel’s response.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) said it “remember[s] the lives stolen, the hostages still held, and the pain felt in Israel and here in Australia”.
“Amid hate, we choose unity, resilience, and hope,” the peak body said in a short social media statement.

Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of ECAJ, said that, over “these past two years, our community has experienced everything from the terrifying to the absurd”.

“While we will never forget, nor forgive, what Hamas did on this day two years ago, and what it continues to do, we live in hope that the hostages will soon be free, the anguish of the families will soon end, and they can all begin to heal,” he said at a press conference today.
Colin Rubenstein, executive director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, said the past two years had weighed heavily on the Jewish community in Australia and around the world.
“Even if the hostages are released, the war ends, and the Hamas threat is decisively disarmed, the Jewish experience can never return to what it was like before October 7 2023,” he said.
Meanwhile, other Jewish groups incorporated the commemoration of both Israelis and Palestinians into their observance of the date.

The New Israel Fund remarked: “The horrors of that day are etched in our minds — brutal assaults, the overwhelming loss, abductions, and deep sorrow.”

A group of women stands outdoors holding signs featuring photographs of people who are still held hostage in Gaza.

Members of the Jewish community continue to demand the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi

“Similarly, the deaths of so many innocents in Gaza and the destruction of their cultural, health and educational institutions has traumatised not only those living in Gaza, but the many family and friends who live in Israel, the occupied territories, neighbouring countries and around the world,” the New Israel Fund said in a statement.

The Jewish Council of Australia acknowledged the date as both two years since the Hamas-led attacks and “two years since Israel began its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza”.
“The continuation of this genocide has only placed the Israeli hostages’ lives, and the lives of all people in Israel, at greater risk,” they said in a statement.
The Australian National Imams Council made similar claims, saying it marks two years “of relentless genocide and war waged against the people of Gaza”.

The council highlighted that “entire neighborhoods are in ruins, with hospitals and schools deliberately targeted, and a famine caused by the Israeli occupation continues to endanger innocent lives.”

Israelis’ response to October 7

Like Australian Jewish organisations, the Israeli public also remains divided over the country’s response to the October 7 attacks.

Additionally, a recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute showed 66 per cent of Israelis expressing that the conflict in Gaza must end, primarily due to the risk to hostages.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum said it’s been “an unimaginable two years since October 7, or one long day that never ended since that dark, hellish morning”.
“With both hope and dread in the air surrounding the outcome of [US] President [Donald] Trump’s peace plan, tens of thousands are rallying across the world in support of the families, and to Bring Them Home,” the group said via their Bring Them Home Now social media account.
Delegations from Hamas and Israel have started indirect talks in Egypt around the proposal that would initially lead to the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and those held in administrative detention in Israel, as the first stage for a longer-term peace.
This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Hebrew.
— With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press
Share this @internewscast.com
FacebookXRedditPinterest
You May Also Like
Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours.

Intense Thunderstorms and Hail Expected to Sweep Across NSW

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for various…
FILE - Former FBI director James Comey gestures while speaking at Harvard University's Institute of Politics' JFK Jr. Forum in Cambridge, Mass., Feb. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Judge Dismisses Cases Against Trump’s Political Foes: A Turning Point in Legal Battles

A United States federal judge has put an end to the indictments…
Uber Eats driver in Melbourne

Game-Changing Pay Boost on the Horizon for Uber Eats and DoorDash Workers

A groundbreaking agreement has been reached between the Transport Workers Union (TWU)…

Teenager Charged with Murder Following Stabbing Incident Near Sydney School

A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder after a teenager was…

New Concerns Arise Following Hanson’s Controversial Burqa Incident: ‘Anticipating What’s Next

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has been censured and suspended from the…
Deadly bird flu strain reaches Australian territory for the first time

Australia on High Alert as Deadly Bird Flu Strain Makes Unprecedented Entry

Authorities have announced that the highly infectious and deadly H5 bird flu…
A man from a high-profile family allegedly raped a woman while pretending to be his friend and then tried to cover it up by doctoring a rideshare receipt.

Prominent Family Member Faces Trial in Serious Assault Case

A man from a prominent family is facing serious allegations of rape…
Heartbroken parents fight to find out why Tommy lived for only 23 days

Grieving Parents Seek Answers After Baby Tommy’s Tragic 23-Day Life

The tragic loss of baby Tommy Starkie has left his parents, Alana…
Bitcoin

Analyzing the Factors Behind the Recent Downturn in the Cryptocurrency Market

By any measure, the past few weeks have been turbulent for the…
Catastrophic fire danger is forecast for the Lower Central West Plains on Wednesday 26 November 2025, due to forecast high temperatures, low humidities and strong winds, making conditions dangerous.

Severe Fire Alert Issued for NSW Regions as Hot, Dry, and Windy Conditions Loom

Residents in the lower central west plains of New South Wales are…

Dangerous Bird Flu Strain Detected in Australian Region

A deadly strain of bird flu has reached has reached one of…
'Slender man' stabber back in custody after disappearance in US

Individual Involved in ‘Slender Man’ Stabbing Case Reapprehended Following Brief Disappearance in the U.S.

Morgan Geyser, who was under supervised release at a group home in…