Two Years Later, Some 20 Hostages Remain Alive, 26 Dead, & Global Hatred Against Jews Continues -Trump’s Peace Framework May Be The Last Chance To Restore Justice
Tuesday, October 7, 2025, 7:00 P.M. ET. 6 Minute Read, Opinion, Editorial, By Jennifer Hodges: Englebrook Independent News,
TEL AVIV, ISR.- Two years ago today, the world witnessed one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in modern history. On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants launched an unprovoked assault on Israel, killing 1,200 men, women, and children, burning families alive, slaughtering concertgoers in open fields, and abducting hundreds of civilians into Gaza. These were not combatants. They were innocent men, women, and children. This was not warfare; it was murder in its purest form.
Today, on the second anniversary, Israel and the world remember the victims. But the commemoration is marred by a disturbing reality: anti-Israel protests erupted in major cities across the globe, and reports indicate that anti-Semitic attacks have surged worldwide in the two years since that morning of terror. The anniversary that should be one of solemn reflection is now also a reminder of the global moral inversion that continues to embolden hate.
The Hostage Crisis Continues;
Of the roughly 250 civilians abducted by Hamas in 2023, 48 remain in captivity. Intelligence estimates that some 20 are believed to be alive, while 26 have been confirmed dead, their remains deliberately withheld as bargaining tools. Families of the hostages live in unbearable uncertainty, unable to mourn properly or bring closure to the deaths of their loved ones.
Every day the hostages remain in Gaza is a reminder that evil persists when the world hesitates to confront it. The grotesque display of cruelty – the use of human lives as political currency – is a warning of what happens when terrorism is normalized or excused.
The World’s Memory Problem;
In the immediate aftermath of October 7, global outrage was near universal. Images of burning homes and massacred families dominated headlines. Yet today, much of that outrage has given way to selective indignation. Streets in major Western cities are filled with demonstrators protesting Israel rather than condemning Hamas. Universities echo chants glorifying “resistance” as if murdering civilians were legitimate. Social media amplifies distorted narratives that equate the victims with their killers.
Meanwhile, anti-Semitic incidents, vandalism, assaults, and public harassment of Jewish communities have surged across Europe, North America, and beyond. Jews, who were once merely targeted in scattered attacks, now face a wave of violence and intimidation that some experts are calling the most significant spike in decades. The world has remembered the victims selectively, but it has largely ignored the growing threat to Jewish lives everywhere.
Israel’s Right—And Duty—To Defend Itself;
Israel’s military operations target Hamas, not Palestinians. Hamas remains a terrorist organization committed to the destruction of Israel, using civilians as shields and hostages as pawns. Since the massacre, Israel has sought to dismantle Hamas’s command structure, destroy weapons caches, and secure the release of hostages, all while under relentless international scrutiny. Every airstrike is condemned; every Hamas rocket launched from a school or hospital roof is ignored.
No democracy has ever faced such a moral double standard. Israel fights not out of aggression, but survival. To fail Israel now is to fail civilization itself.
President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan Framework;
In this critical moment, President Donald J. Trump has unveiled a comprehensive 20-point peace plan aimed at ending the Gaza conflict and establishing a path to lasting peace. The framework includes:
- An immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
- Full release of all Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
- Exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hamas.
- Demilitarization of Gaza, including disarmament of Hamas.
- Phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, coordinated with international oversight.
- Establishment of a transitional international governance authority to administer Gaza.
- Deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force to maintain security.
- Comprehensive reconstruction plan for Gaza, funded by international donors.
- Humanitarian aid access to all areas of Gaza.
- Restoration of essential services, including electricity, water, and healthcare.
- Economic development initiatives are designed to create jobs and stimulate economic growth.
- Educational reforms to promote peace and tolerance.
- Support for Palestinian refugees and displaced persons.
- Protection of Religious and Cultural Sites in Gaza.
- Promotion of interfaith dialogue and coexistence programs.
- Commitment to a two-state solution, with negotiations to begin within six months.
- International monitoring of the peace process and implementation.
- Accountability mechanisms for violations of the ceasefire.
- Support for Palestinian civil society organizations and institutions.
- Long-term security guarantees for both Israel and a future Palestinian state.
This ambitious plan has garnered support from various international actors, including Egypt, Jordan, and several Gulf states. However, its success hinges on Hamas’s willingness to disarm and relinquish control, a condition it has yet to accept fully.
The Moral Test of Our Time;
October 7, 2023, was not only a tragedy for Israel, but it was a test for the world. Would humanity recognize evil and oppose it, or rationalize it? Two years later, the answer remains troublingly ambiguous. Anti-Israel protests, rising anti-Semitism, and moral equivocation in global institutions demonstrate that the lesson has not been universally learned.
Statements of sympathy are meaningless when Hamas continues to hold civilians hostage. Calls for “proportionality” are hollow when Hamas commits atrocities daily. The moral imperative is clear: terrorism cannot be excused, and the defense of innocent life cannot be optional.
Remembering the Victims;
As protests rage and politics swirl, the victims’ names fade into statistics. Infants burned in cribs. Young women executed. Holocaust survivors were murdered once more. Every life taken on October 7 was unique, and each demands remembrance, not distortion.
Israeli memorials today are acts of defiance against forgetfulness, against the world’s moral compromise. Civilization cannot survive if barbarism is rationalized, if terror is tolerated, and if truth is silenced.
Looking Ahead;
The following weeks and months will determine whether the world has the courage to act. President Trump’s 20-point peace framework offers a real chance to free the hostages and finally dismantle Hamas’s terror network. But action requires moral clarity: Hamas must release all hostages immediately, every nation must reaffirm Israel’s right to defend itself, and the world must confront the spike in anti-Semitism.
Evil thrives where truth is ignored. Two years later, the graves are still fresh, the hostages still suffer, and anti-Semitism rises unchecked. Our shared humanity demands remembrance, action, and resolve. The victims of October 7, 2023, must never be forgotten, and their suffering must fuel the world’s moral resolve rather than political indifference.
Editor’s Note:
On this solemn anniversary, we honor the 1,200 Israelis murdered by Hamas and stand in solidarity with the 48 hostages still in captivity; some 20 are believed to be alive, and 26 are confirmed deceased. The rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Israel protests worldwide underscores the need for moral clarity. President Trump’s 20-point peace framework offers hope, but justice and the return of the hostages must remain the world’s top priorities. Silence is complicity.
