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

“Inclusion of ‘State Sponsors of Terrorism’ in Criminal Code Proposed”

The government will introduce new legislation allowing foreign state entities to be…

Panic Strikes University Students as Scam Emails Threaten to ‘Revoke’ and ‘Disqualify’ Degrees

An Australian university has apologised after reports that some students received emails…
Three charged with murder after dad allegedly tortured for days before his death

Three Individuals Accused of Murder Following Alleged Days-Long Torture of Father

Three individuals have been formally charged with the murder of Andrew Burow…

Decision on Opera House Rally Expected Today as Israel Commemorates October 7 Attacks

The fate of a planned major pro-Palestine protest in front of the…
Nobel Prize in Physics goes to three scientists whose work advanced quantum technology

Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to three researchers for pioneering advancements in quantum technology

John Clarke, Michel H Devoret, and John M Martinis were awarded the…
Australians are being hit with a potato shortage after growers experienced what they said has been one of the toughest seasons in a decade. 

Australia Faces Nationwide Potato Shortage Following ‘Toughest Season’ in Ten Years

Australians are being hit with a potato shortage, with growers having experienced…
A shattered window in Sydney's inner-west after an alleged shooting

Video Captures Gunfire Incident on Sydney’s Inner West Street

Surveillance video captures the instance when 60-year-old Artemios Mintzas reportedly started shooting…
Seven Australian activists released from Israel and deported to Jordan

Seven Australian Activists Freed from Israel and Sent to Jordan

Seven Australians who were detained for days in Israel after being intercepted…
Moorabbin bowling alley fire melbourne suspects victoria police

Authorities Share Photos of Two Individuals Suspected in Abandoned Bowling Alley Fire

Police believe two men are responsible for a fire that gutted a…

Federal Government Acknowledges Inadequate Support for Truth-Telling Initiative with Limited Staffing

The federal government seems to have quietly sidelined a national truth-telling commission,…
New Year's Eve

Are We on the Brink of a Major Shift in Australian Drinking Culture?

Younger people are drinking less alcohol in Australia, with Gen Z leading…

Photo Gallery: Israel Commemorates October 7 Anniversary

Israelis held a day of mourning on Tuesday, commemorating two years since…