SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Two years after the October 7th attack that left 1,200 Israelis dead and 250 taken hostage, the ensuing war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians and divided communities worldwide.
The conflict has fueled movements to fight antisemitism, while others condemn what they call genocide.
The polarizing sides have even rippled through San Diego college campuses and communities..
San Diego State University student Maya Gerassi, who is with the group Students Supporting Israel, remains haunted by images from the Nova Music Festival attack.
"Our people died. 1,200 people were murdered in their homes at a music festival. Over 200 people were kidnapped, and over 40 people are still being held," Gerassi said.
Gerassi is also part of a group combating antisemitism on campuses called The Presidential Task Force on Combating Anti-Semitism, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice earlier this year. She has visited the site of the Nova Music Festival.
"It was so painful for me," Gerassi said. "The fact that people are taking their anti-war opinions and putting them on the Jewish people and creating anti-Semitism is horrible," she said.
On the other side of the conflict, Samar Ismail, a Palestinian community organizer with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the U.S., offers a different perspective.
Ismail recently visited the West Bank and describes the devastation she saw.
"I did see the constant bulldozing of the refugee camps. I've seen the military tanks drive around and threaten people. I've seen the Israeli soldiers with their massive weapons walking around," Ismail said.
Since October 7th, Ismail said, Palestinians have been suffering.
"How are we allowing a nation to commit genocide backed by our tax dollars. It's unacceptable," Ismail said.
The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 68,000 Palestinians have died in the Gaza war, including 18,000 children.
Israel maintains that it is engaged in a war of self-defense against terrorist organization Hamas, and is not fighting the Palestinian people.
This anniversary of October 7th attack comes as world leaders are meeting in Egypt to discuss a ceasefire deal.
Ismail hopes the deal will put a stop to U.S. involvement in the war.
"The broader message should be that the United States should be incredibly cautious of where it is sending our tax dollars and what kind of foreign assistance that we are providing," Ismail said.
Gerassi hopes the deal frees the remaining hostages.
"We have over 40 hostages being held, and we want them all home," Gerassi said.
