Three Years After October 7: The Urgent Call for Peace Amidst Gaza’s Devastation
Three years after the October 7 attacks, activists urge an end to the violence in Gaza. Explore the human cost, regional impact, and calls for peace.
POLICY WIRE — London, UK — Three years have passed since the brutal October 7 attacks by Hamas in southern Israel, an event that left the world reeling from grief, horror, and a desire for retribution. Among those mourning the loss of loved ones, some voices emerged early on to challenge the path of vengeance.
Yonatan Zeigen, son of the late peace activist Vivian Silver, was one of the more than 1,200 people killed during the initial militant assault. In the immediate aftermath, Zeigen famously warned that vengeance is not a strategy, urging the international community to prioritize investment in peace instead.
Zeigen’s early warnings regarding the 40km-long Gaza territory proved prophetic as he cautioned that the Israeli military response would lead to an apocalyptic reality. His perspective was shared by others, including Maoz Inon, who lost both his parents, Bilha and Yaakov, on that same day.
Inon has since partnered with Palestinian activist Aziz Abu Sarah, whose own brother died under torture in an Israeli prison, to advocate for an end to the ongoing violence. Two years ago, the pair warned that the region stood on the precipice of a wider conflict, a prediction that has since seen tensions metastasize across half a dozen countries.
The October 7 attacks resulted in the abduction of 250 hostages, many of whom were children, with survivors later reporting severe abuse. However, the conflict did not emerge in a vacuum, as Gaza had long been under an Israeli blockade that experts frequently described as an open-air prison.
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In July 2024, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion concluding that Israel has been responsible for apartheid against Palestinians, a charge the Israeli government denies. Furthermore, a UN Commission of Enquiry has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, an allegation also rejected by Israeli officials.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israel’s bombardment has claimed the lives of over 74,000 people in Gaza since October 2023, including more than 1,400 deaths since a US-brokered ceasefire began nearly a year ago. Recent satellite imagery shows vast areas of the territory reduced to ash and rubble.
Data from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, indicates that over 80 per cent of all structures in Gaza have sustained damage, with two-thirds completely destroyed. Meanwhile, the UK has implemented new sanctions against Israeli settlements, citing rising ethnic cleansing and land grabs in the occupied West Bank.
Jordanian officials have expressed concerns regarding the de facto annexation of the West Bank by the Israeli government. The UN reports that since 2023, at least 1,100 Palestinians, including 250 children, have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
As the third anniversary of the attacks arrives, the calls from figures like Zeigen and Inon for accountability and self-determination remain central. They continue to demand a genuine path to peace rather than continued erasure or temporary ceasefires.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
