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October 7 Hamas Attacks: How Life Changed at Israel's Borders, One Year

Looking to the Future in the Middle East
One year on from October 7, a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, stability in northern Israel and the return of southern Lebanon's 200,000 displaced residents are likely a long way off. So, too, is a reprieve for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, pictured on September 18, 2024. Campaigners continue to fight for the release of hostages still being held in Gaza. Ellie Cook
Already facing fierce criticism before October 2023, the lack of security for northern Israelis and the hostages still in Gaza keep him firmly under a harsh spotlight, said Ruth Wasserman Lande, a former Knesset member from the opposition Blue and White party.
"Prospects for a two-state solution were already quite slim before 10/7 but are now nonexistent," said Elgindy. Tariq Kenney-Shawa, a U.S. policy fellow with Palestinian think tank Al-Shabaka, told Newsweek the likelihood had been "dead years, if not decades, prior to October 7 and the subsequent genocide in Gaza." Israel denies accusations of genocide.
The past year "highlighted the desperate need for a solution, any solution, but I fear the sheer scale of brutality that has ensued has rendered that unrealistic in the short term to medium term. In other words, it'll get worse before it gets better," said Kenney-Shawa.
From the Israeli side, Wasserman Lande told Newsweek the "watershed moment" of October 7 has "moved farther away the concept of Palestinian statehood." "Israelis, by far, are actually far more fearful now to have a state led by Palestinians right next door to them," she said.
At Kibbutz Matzuva, as of September 26, workers cannot finish construction due to Israeli authorities tightening restrictions in the north, Efroni said. Three workers fixing a house in a nearby kibbutz were injured in rocket attacks the previous day, he said.
"Everything stand[s] still, we don't have any work on houses, on factories." And yet, the young family still "hope to come back, for sure," he said.
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About the writer
EEllie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more

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