Israel must remember Oct. 7 victims and hostages, even as world forgets - opinion

The atrocities of October 7 have left a mark on the Israeli psyche that will not fade with time or rhetoric. 

On that day, Hamas unleashed an orgy of violence that went far beyond mere warfare; it was a deliberate act of barbarism, intended to inflict maximum terror, grief, and despair. 

The dead were mourned, the injured treated, and the rubble cleared, but the true cost of that day’s horror is still being paid by those who survived, by the hostages whose minds remain shackled by what they endured, and by the families left behind. 

This cost is measured not just in the physical aftermath, but in the deep and persistent trauma that haunts every waking hour of those affected.

The research on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) leaves little room for comforting illusions: survivors of extreme violence, particularly those who have been subjected to torture, captivity, or the violent loss of loved ones, do not simply “move on.” 

For them, the ordeal is not a chapter that can be closed but a living, breathing reality that invades their present with nightmares, flashbacks, and a constant sense of dread. 

Their wounds are not visible, and their scars are not marked on the skin; they exist in the mind’s darkest recesses, replaying the terror in an endless loop.

The aftermath of war and terror is a rich subject for psychiatric research, and the data consistently reveals that survivors of mass violence often develop what is known as complex PTSD – a condition that goes beyond the usual symptoms of trauma to include severe disturbances in emotional regulation, a shattered self-image, and crippling mistrust of the world.

 Survivors of the October 7 massacre find themselves in a state of perpetual siege, unable to distinguish between past danger and present safety. 

For some, every sound becomes a threat, every face a reminder, and every night an exercise in reliving the horror.

Hostages: A nightmare with no release

The hostages taken by Hamas during its rampage have endured ordeals that defy any civilized description. Physically, they may have been released, but their minds remain captive to the barbarism they experienced. 

Captivity and torture, as the psychiatric literature makes clear, are not just physically traumatic but leave enduring psychological damage that can last a lifetime. 

Former hostages often struggle with a range of symptoms: chronic anxiety, depression, dissociation, and a loss of connection to the world they have returned to. 

The journey back to anything resembling normality is long, painful, and, for many, incomplete.

The trauma extends beyond the individual, affecting family dynamics, relationships, and even one’s sense of self. 

The constant recollection of abuse, coupled with intrusive thoughts and relentless anxiety, can render even the most mundane tasks unbearable. 

What the hostages experienced cannot simply be treated away; it will require a lifetime of care – a fact that should give pause to those who think the price of peace can be counted only in bodies and buildings.

For the families of the victims and hostages, there is no release from their ordeal. They live with a void that cannot be filled and with a grief that cannot be resolved, particularly for those whose loved ones remain unaccounted for. 

The uncertainty about the fate of some hostages deepens their anguish, and with every day that passes without news, the silence itself becomes a form of psychological torment.

Studies on the families of terror victims show that they are at high risk of developing secondary trauma, where the unrelenting stress and grief can lead to anxiety disorders, depression, and even suicidal thoughts.

The passage of time does not heal such wounds; it only makes the burden more profound and isolating.

The world’s deafening silence

Perhaps the greatest insult to the victims, survivors, and their families is not merely the brutality of their experience, but the indifference of the world that has followed. 

For many, the atrocities of October 7 are already fading from memory, dismissed as another episode in a long conflict. 

Worse still, there are those who seek to deny, minimize, or reinterpret the events to suit a particular ideological narrative, one that is not only anti-Zionist but fundamentally antisemitic. 

To these people, the agony of Israeli victims is not just inconvenient; it is something to be politically weaponized or swept aside. The world’s silence is not merely a failure of empathy; it is a moral abdication that compounds the survivors’ suffering.

When atrocities are downplayed and survivors’ stories met with skepticism, it is not just an affront to the truth, but a continuation of the violence by other means. 

The global refusal to fully confront what happened on October 7 sends a message to the victims that their pain is politically expendable, that their ordeal must be reshaped or denied to fit the narrative of those who see every Hamas atrocity as an expression of resistance, rather than the barbarism it truly is.

The tragedy of October 7 has not only been monetized but weaponized. For some, the massacre is an opportunity to score political points, to obscure the identities of perpetrators and victims, and to frame the narrative in terms that are deliberately vague and misleading. 

This process of political exploitation not only distorts the truth but desecrates the memory of those who suffered. 

It is not merely a case of moral cowardice; it is an active betrayal of the fundamental principles of justice and the sanctity of human life.

The reluctance to fully acknowledge the nature of the atrocities and to speak plainly about who committed them and why, is an exercise in intellectual dishonesty that only deepens the survivors’ despair. 

It is an insidious way of saying that Jewish lives are worth less, that the anguish of Israeli families is somehow less legitimate or deserving of attention. The victims, already brutalized by violence, are now being brutalized by the world’s willful ignorance.

Reclaiming the truth: A demand for justice

The events of October 7 must not be allowed to fade into obscurity. To move on, as some would urge, is not just an insult to the victims; it is a collusion with their tormentors. 

It is imperative that the full extent of what occurred is acknowledged, and that the world bears witness to the depths of the evil inflicted upon our people. 

The survivors’ suffering must not be allowed to be eclipsed by the demands of political expediency.

The time has come for a reckoning with the truth, and that means confronting the reality of what happened on that day. 

It means recognizing the barbarity of the attacks and the trauma of those left behind, but it also means addressing the silence and denial that have accompanied the aftermath. 

We must refuse to let their stories be erased or sanitized, and we must demand that their voices be heard, their pain acknowledged, and their suffering condemned without qualification.

The world’s indifference may be profound, but it is not invincible. It is up to all of us to ensure that October 7 is not forgotten, that the memories of the fallen are respected, and that the survivors are given the justice they deserve: the truth, spoken plainly, and the uncompromising condemnation of the crimes committed against them.

In a world that so often prefers to look away, let us choose to bear witness.

The writer is executive director of We Believe In Israel.