Last year, I spoke with Israeli teenagers after Hamas infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. This year, marking two years since the attack, I spoke with them again, but many things have changed since the shadow of the Hamas conflict looms over their beloved country. Israel and Hamas have agreed to a fragile ceasefire, which many hope will last long enough to facilitate the release of all remaining living and deceased hostages. Yet even amid this pause in fighting, the nation is still on edge, weary from two years of loss and uncertainty.
As the conflict drags into its third year and continues to live in a state of prolonged war, I reconnected with people I know in Israel to understand how their perspectives and their country have changed.
When I first spoke to Hila Maman last year, she was a 17-year-old from the quiet city of Dimona who found joy in listening to music amid the turmoil that enveloped her country. One year later, Maman says she is set to join the Israel Defense Force (IDF) in the spring in hopes of helping her nation. For 19-year-old Ori Israel of Yerucham, life looks very different from a year ago. What once felt like a distant conflict is now part of her everyday life as a soldier in the IDF. Like Maman, Ori also finds solace in music and is a member of the IDF military choir.
On Oct. 7, 2024, there were reportedly still 97 hostages kept in captivity by Hamas. As of Oct. 19, 2025, all living hostages have been released from captivity due to the recent ceasefire agreement. However, the remains of 16 deceased hostages are still believed to be in Gaza, according to the Israeli miliatary. Additionally, one of the sets of remains released didn’t match any of the hostages.
In the ceasefire plan proposed by President Donald Trump, he called for the return of all hostages, both living and deceased. However, according to recent reports, Hamas has violated this condition by recently returning a body that did not match any of the remaining hostages. Additionally, recent attacks have led Hamas and Israel to both accuse each other of breaking the already fragile ceasefire.
“I don’t think it’s possible to make a deal with the devil, and the devil is Hamas,” said Maman. “Even regarding the last agreement to return all the hostages, they already violated it.”
Maman said not too much has changed in her life since last year; she simply said she is “trying to keep moving forward in life.” Maman’s words reflect a broader sentiment felt across Israel; many have learned to live in a state of constant tension while trying to preserve some form of everyday life.
In some ways, though, Ori believes that this has brought Israeli society closer together.
“We are definitely more united, and it’s a little sad that it took a war to bring us all back together, and I hope that after the war ends, we can continue to be united and together like now,” said Ori.
She is part of the “Tazpitanit,” a unit of female soldiers who are in charge of monitoring the borders of Israel-– in Ori’s case, the Gaza Strip.
“[I’m] in the same position as many of the female soldiers who were murdered on Oct. 7. I felt like this is my chance to continue their legacy and remember them,” said Ori.
Two years on, Israel remains a country defined by uncertainty, but also by perseverance. The teenagers I spoke with this year are now or soon-to-be soldiers, stepping into adulthood at a tumultuous time. Whether or not the ceasefire holds, their stories suggest that there is still something worth building toward.
“I think about Oct. 7 every single day. I think a lot about the families who lost their loved ones, the people who only wanted to dance that night, and a few hours later were kidnapped to Gaza,” said Maman.
When asked about peace, Ori expressed both hope and realism despite what she has seen. “I would like to believe that there will be some sort of peace in the area, but I know who we’re dealing with, so it’s not likely going to hold more than a little while,” she said. “For me, it doesn’t really matter what happens next, because I’m not going anywhere and I will stay here to make sure Oct. 7 won’t happen again.”
