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A Note From the Editor: The Oct. 7 Massacre, One Year Later

Pro-Israel rally in Times Square, New York City, US, Oct. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Dear readers,

It is highly unusual for The Algemeiner to post an editor’s note. But we felt the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel required special acknowledgment — and reflection.

You are no doubt familiar with the brutal and unimaginable details: 1,200 murdered, thousands more wounded, and 251 hostages kidnapped in the largest single-day slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust. Perhaps even more shocking than the brutality itself was the sheer glee and brutality with which the terrorists perpetrated mass murder, sexual violence, and other acts of hate too horrible to relive here.

The Hamas-led pogrom had echoes of past persecution that resonated with Jews to their core.

And then there’s what happened afterward. Not just the Gaza war, which has brought an infuriating amount of international pressure on the world’s lone Jewish state to stop defending itself and remain a victim-in-waiting to genocidal terrorists. Perhaps more striking has been the global surge in antisemitism, with Jews around the world being harassed, intimidated, and even assaulted simply for being Jewish.

Those who don’t think the fate of the Jewish state and the Jewish people are intertwined should answer a few simple questions. Why was a Jewish woman beaten and raped in a suburb of Paris as “vengeance for Palestine”? Why are synagogues and Jewish restaurants being defaced with messages of “Free Gaza”? Why do Jewish students at universities across the US and beyond face physical assault, threats, and harassment?

If it was not obvious before, it should be now: anti-Israel animus and antisemitic hate are often one and the same. The former has fueled a historic surge in hate crimes against Jews over the past year.

It has been a difficult last 12 months, full of pain, anguish, and fear. But the past year has also revealed remarkable strength, courage, and resilience. New Jewish and Israeli heroes have emerged, and despite what other media outlets may lead you to believe, I have largely observed unity and solidarity among the Jewish people and their allies, not division.

One year later, Hamas is decimated, Hezbollah is — against all odds — being dismantled as I type this, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the regime in Iran is about to suffer a major blow. There is a real sense that the tide is turning. Even the campus protests are dying down, being kept alive now by a small band of unsuccessful radicals rather than the masses of “activists” who filled the encampments last spring semester.

Here it is worth noting that the anniversary of Oct. 7 is taking place right after Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a time to think about the year that just happened and the one to come.

As we enter the year 5785, Israel’s deterrence has been restored, and there is a real sense that the Jewish state is achieving a victory. Arab states afraid to expand the Abraham Accords in this current political moment may see an opening to pursue normalization once the fighting slows.

In short, I believe we are transitioning from a time of tragedy to one of optimism.

Of course, we must never forget the 101 hostages still in Gaza and continue pushing for their release. It is unimaginable that they have suffered in captivity for 365 days. The soul of the Jewish world cannot heal until they are home.

And we must remain vigilant as antisemitic outrages continue to spike in the US, Europe, South America, and beyond. Not to mention anything could happen in the Middle East, such as another major Iranian-led attack on Israel, to change the regional equation.

But if the last year has been one of agony, the next year could be one of promise and opportunity.

We can all play a part to make this happen, even armed with nothing but a laptop. Indeed, The Algemeiner is more committed than ever to covering the stories that you care about and impact both the Jewish people and the world at large.

The meaning of “Algemeiner” is “universal.” The main reason for this publication’s name is to reference our mission of reaching as many people around the world — both Jewish and non-Jewish — with our journalistic work as possible. But another reason, I think, is that Jewish values are Western values that, when put into practice, make the world a better place. However, when they are spurned, everyone loses. As the journalist Vasily Grossman observed in his book Life and Fate, “Tell me what you accuse the Jews of — I’ll tell you what you’re guilty of.”

Reflecting on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks, I could not help but think of a quote by the great American writer Mark Twain. In an 1899 essay titled “Concerning the Jews,” Twain noted that, despite comprising such a small percentage of the global population, the Jewish people somehow not only overcame great empires seeking to destroy them but also thrived in fields as wide-ranging as art, music, literature, finance, and science.

Marveling at the ability of Jews to survive and prosper against all odds without exhibiting “decadence” or “infirmities of age” despite their ancient heritage, Twain concluded, “All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?”

And with that, let us always remember the atrocities of Oct. 7 and also look forward to a new year in which both the Jewish people and the Jewish state will not only survive but thrive.

Sincerely,

Aaron Kliegman, managing editor

The post A Note From the Editor: The Oct. 7 Massacre, One Year Later first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War

Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.

Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.

“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”

GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’

Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.

“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.

“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.

“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.

After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”

RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL

Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”

Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.

“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”

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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests

A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.

People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.

“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”

Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.

On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.

Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.

On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.

“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.

Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.

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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan

Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.

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