Local supporters of Israel, Palestinians hope for peace 2 years after October 7th attack

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Tuesday marks two years since the Israel-Hamas war began, bringing devastation and suffering across the Middle East.

This war started after Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack in Israel on October 7th, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 Israelis.

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Thousands of people have been killed and injured in the Gaza Strip as Israeli hostages are still being held in Gaza.

There is hope from both sides that ceasefire talks may be the beginning of a prolonged period of peace. The cautious optimism comes despite deep scars left behind, two years after the attack on October 7th and the ensuing war between Israel and Hamas.

For millions of people around the world, the suffering surrounding October 7th remains fresh.

"Today is basically a day of pain. We're still hurting, Israelis. In Israel, worldwide, Jewish communities, we're in pain. You know, it's two years since the horrific October 7 attack, but for us in Israel, it's still October 7, 2023," said Consul General of Israel to the Midwest Elad Strohmayer.

Two years ago, Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis in a surprise attack, taking more than 250 hostage, 48 of whom still remain inside Gaza, according to Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, Strohmayer denounced protests around Chicago planned for Tuesday, including one outside the Israeli Consulate.

"On this day, the day that we were attacked, to have demonstration blaming Israel, blaming the victim for what happened to us. That's gaslighting. That's cruelty. That's outrageous. They're trying to change the narrative. They're trying to change history, and we won't let them," Strohmayer said.

Survivors of that attack helped break ground on a planned memorial garden outside a Glencoe synagogue on Tuesday.

Mey Shwisha survived. Her two friends, pictured on the podium, did not.

"I went to dance, and then I started to run. Since this moment, I haven't stopped running," Shwisha said.

Hersch Goldberg-Polin was held by Hamas before his body was recovered in a tunnel.

His aunt, Abby Polin, from the Chicago area, remembered the 23-year-old at Tuesday's event.

"You stand here to break ground on a memorial, but what you are really building is a promise; a promise to remember every name, every face, every voice that couldn't be heard," she said.

And as Israelis and many in the Jewish faith demand the return of Israeli hostages, Palestinians are pointing to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza as Israeli forces continue attacks on Gaza City.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 67,000 people have been killed in Gaza, and almost 2 million people have been displaced. The United Nations Children's Fund estimated that 14,000 children in Gaza are acutely malnourished.

The U.S. Palestinian Community Network reflected on the pain felt by people in Gaza.

"It is a reminder for us that we have a long way to go continue to fight for justice and for the liberation for our people," said USPCN-Chicago Co-chair Husam Marajda.

And at the Israeli consulate in downtown Chicago, both sides met in protest.

The group included Max Long, who was one of two DePaul students attacked on campus in November and is a reservist for the Israel Defense Forces.

"This is much harder than being a reservist. To come out here and to hold up these signs, time and time again, to be hearing the hate being spewed from the other side," Long said.

But as Palestinian families are starved and killed amid the war, their supporters here an ocean away are crying out for an end to the conflict.

"Over two years of business as usual has left us where we are now!" one demonstrator said.

"Someone posed a question. What are you going to do while Gaza is going through a genocide?" said demonstrator Billy Gregory. And my answer was to be as loud as I could."

"It shows solidarity with the Palestinian people, to give them hope that there is people fighting for them," said demonstrator Dylan Littlejohn.

And though many on both sides hope for peace, it is how they arrive at that notion that the chasm still exists.

"We want it to be over, and it can over right now. If Hamas agrees to lay down its arms and also to release all the hostages, it can over in a heartbeat," Strohmayer said.

"When we have true self-determination of our own country and our land, our own people. Then that's when we can talk about peace. But until, we are still under occupation," Marajda said.

The Jewish United Fund issued a statement, saying, "Today, Chicago's Jewish community mourns and remembers the brutal terror attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. On that day more than 1200 people were murdered and 250 taken hostage by the terrorist group Hamas. To this day, 48 hostages remain in captivity after 730 agonizing days. We demand their immediate and safe return to their families, as we yearn for real, enduring peace."