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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) held a ceremony Thursday at the Nahal Oz base marking the second anniversary of when it was attacked by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023.
The General Staff Forum, including IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Yiska Steinberg, the widow of the late former Nahal Brigade commander Col. Yonatan Steinberg, were in attendance. At 6:29 a.m. local time — the same time the attacks started in 2023 — the attendees held a moment of silence in memory of those who fell on Oct. 7, 2023, and in the war that followed.
After the moment of silence, Col. Ido Kass, who led the inquiry into the battle, recounted the sequence of events that occurred on Oct. 7, 2023, at the Nahal Oz base.
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IDF soldiers salute during a memorial ceremony marking the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Nahal Oz base. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
In addition to the memorial ceremony, members of the General Staff Forum took part in a panel called, “Memory, Responsibility, Heroism, and Hope.” The panel also included Cpt. Bar Zonshine, who commanded and fought in battles in communities near the Gaza Strip. Two former hostages, Chen and Agam Goldstein-Almog, were also part of the panel.
“On this day, we face head-on the failure of October 7th and look forward toward our future. We bow our heads before the civilians, commanders, and troops who bravely gave their lives. Our commitment is to continue accompanying the bereaved families, the troops, the wounded, both in body and in spirit, as well as the survivors of captivity. In addition, we will not rest and will not be silent until we bring back the last of the fallen hostages; this is a moral duty for us,” Zamir said.
“Out of our commitment, we have conducted inquiries into the battles and presented them to the communities. We continue to study, evaluate, and implement the lessons learned. The IDF will not repeat the mistakes of the past,” he added. “It is the IDF’s duty to emerge from the past two years toward growth, renewal, and hope.”
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir lays a wreath in honor of those who fell at the Nahal Oz base during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
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Zamir noted that amid the IDF failures on Oct. 7, stories of heroism emerged. He said those who acted selflessly in the face of terror needed to be honored, announcing the establishment of the Decorations Committee, which would fulfill that mission.
Matan Angrest, one of the 20 living hostages who returned to Israel on Monday, was kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, while defending Nahal Oz.
Several hostages’ testimonies indicated that Angrest was subjected to particularly harsh treatment while in captivity, including starvation and torture. The Jerusalem Post reported that Angrest suffers from asthma, which worsened in the damp and humid tunnels.
Matan Angrest, one of the 20 living hostages who returned to Israel on Oct. 13, 2025, was captured while defending the Nahal Oz base. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
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In April 2025, while Angrest was still in Gaza, former hostage Ron Krivoi — who was released from captivity in November 2023 — spoke to Israel’s Channel 12 and said that Angrest was being severely abused by Hamas, according to The Times of Israel.
“The interrogations he went through happened while still in Israeli territory — that’s where it started. They already connected him to a car battery on the way and tried to revive him. Using car batteries, they electrocuted him,” Krivoi told Channel 12, according to The Times of Israel. “They weren’t able to interrogate him. He probably wasn’t even in a condition to speak because he was badly injured. His injuries were very severe.”
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On Monday, all remaining living hostages returned to Israel. So far, Hamas has only handed over the remains of nine out of the 28 deceased hostages the terrorist group is required to hand over according to the ceasefire terms. Two of the deceased hostages whose remains are in Gaza are U.S. citizens, Omer Neutra and Itay Chen. Chen was killed while fighting alongside Angrest.