As Israel marked two years since the October 7 attacks on Tuesday, messages of remembrance and anger at the plight of hostages in Gaza poured in amid high expectations over talks in Egypt to reach a ceasefire with Hamas that could bring about their release.
Religious legislators, who make up much of the far-right cabinet, were offline for the Sukkot holiday, but opposition leader Yair Lapid posted on X that Israel “will remember and never forget”, and paid tribute to the hostages in Gaza, their families and Israeli soldiers.
The Democrats leader Yair Golan, who helped Israelis escape from Hamas during the attacks, toured the site of a music festival where around 400 people were killed. "Two years later, the wound is still open, 48 of our brothers and sisters are still there in hell," Mr Golan posted on X while at the site, referring to the number still being held captive.
Rebecca Bohbot, whose husband Elkana was taken hostage, posted on X: “I have no words left any more − enough is enough. Bring Elkana and all the hostages home now. Immediately.”
Eli Sharabi, who was freed from Hamas captivity in February, paid tribute to his wife and two daughters who were killed on October 7. He also called for the return of the body of his brother, which is still in Gaza.
“On 7/10/23 our peaceful and happy life became hell, mourning and unimaginable loss that will accompany me every moment until my last day,” he posted on Facebook.
“These days, I and the whole Sharabi family are holding our breath in the presence of hope, for the return of Yossi my brother for a proper burial, and the return of Alon Ohel, my dear friend, and all the hostages. We’ve suffered enough, we deserve a different reality. We want to start healing."
Israel’s army has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza and injured at least 169,000 since the 2023 attacks in which Hamas and other militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and took about 250 people hostage.
The mass movement to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a deal to free the remaining 48 hostages, of whom about 20 are thought to be alive, staged a flurry of demonstrations in recent days after US President Donald Trump put forward a plan that many Israelis view as the last chance to save the surviving captives.
Activists set up a Sukkot meal on the street near Mr Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence. Einav Zangauker, the mother of a hostage who used to support Mr Netanyahu politically but is now one of his most recognisable critics, issued a direct message to Mr Trump: “President Trump, please end this nightmare. Please make it happen. We can’t live without them.”
In Tel Aviv, women's activists in Dizengoff Square organised a vigil. The organisations involved said the day was “the moment of truth for the government of Israel”.
“The people of Israel demand everyone home and will not forgive those who sabotage this opportunity. October 7, 2023 will only end when a deal is signed for ending the war and bringing all remaining hostages home,” the activist group said.
World leaders also expressed solidarity on Tuesday. French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X that France stands “in solidarity with all the victims, including 51 of our fellow citizens … such an abomination must never happen again. Let us unite all our strength to fight anti-Semitism everywhere and to build peace”.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute to victims and said the UK’s priority is to bring about the release of hostages, “surge” aid into Gaza and find “a ceasefire that can lead to a lasting and just peace as a step towards a two-state solution”.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Wonder
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20EPD%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
