This post was updated Oct. 13 at 1:45 p.m.

Around 90 community members attended a vigil on campus Thursday that marked two years since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.

The Palestinian political party and militant group attacked Israeli villages, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to the Associated Press. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas agreed to implement the first phase of a peace deal in which Israeli hostages would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, according to Reuters.

The Israeli military began a military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ attack – which has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Multiple Jewish organizations – including Hillel at UCLA, Chabad at UCLA, Bruins for Israel, Students Supporting Israel, Olami, Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and the Jewish Faculty Resilience Group – hosted the vigil. It began around 6:30 p.m. with a silent remembrance walk from Hillel at UCLA to Meyerhoff Park.

The ceremony started with leaders delivering speeches about their connections to Israel and experiences navigating college life as Jewish students.

Joshua Grines, the president of Olami – an organization celebrating Jewish culture – said in his speech that the attacks took place while he was attending a gap year program in Jerusalem. Grines added that since the attacks, he believes antisemitism abroad and in the United States has grown stronger.

“May we honor those we lost by carrying their light into every moment, and may we continue to pray for the speedy release of all the remaining hostages by the end of this week,” Grines said. “Now – two years later – on Oct. 8, 2025, I was so happy to see that our hostages are coming home. A true full circle moment.”

The attendees – most of whom wore hostage pins and yellow ribbons, which symbolize support for the hostages – held photographs of Israeli hostages, spoke prayers for Israel and its military forces and sang the Israeli national anthem along with Jewish songs.

Felicia Knaul, an associate of the chancellor and a distinguished professor of medicine, said in a speech that she believes students, as leaders, must fight for peace and justice. She added that she is praying for the safe release of the Israeli hostages.

“We stand to manifest our dedication and determination against violence, against antisemitism, against hatred and against injustice in all of its forms – to continue to make our campus, our school and our community into a beacon of light,” said Knaul, who is married to Chancellor Julio Frenk.

The vigil created a space for people to mourn and heal from the losses that occurred Oct. 7, 2023, said Jaden Penhaskashi, the president of Bruins for Israel. Penhaskashi, a fourth-year computational and systems biology student, added that many Jewish community members experienced mixed emotions due to the vigil falling on Sukkot – the Jewish harvest festival holiday that represents a time to celebrate.

“It was announced that Israel and Hamas has made a hostage deal, which has put a lot of hope in our hearts looking on the horizon and knowing that peace is possible between Israelis and Palestinians and that all of the Israeli hostages that we have been waiting to come home for over two years now are finally going to be able to see their families for the first time,” Penhaskashi said.

Daniel Gold, Hillel at UCLA’s executive director, said Hillel coordinated with UCPD and campus security to arrange security detail for the vigil. About 20 UCPD and CSC security officers stood outside Hillel at UCLA before the remembrance walk.

“Whether we do a public event, whether we have a holiday celebration inside of a Jewish institution or a public space, we’re always very aware of security,” he said. “It’s unique every time, and we don’t necessarily look at previous events, and so we’re thankful to the university for being there to help us provide security.”

Noam Lazarov, the cultural director of Bruins for Israel, said he believes it is important for people to stand together in the face of violence. Having grown up in Israel, Lazarov – a first-year psychology student – added that he feels a personal connection to the country and found a sense of belonging at Hillel at UCLA.

Penhaskashi said the vigil was held for the entire UCLA community, adding that he ultimately wishes for peace.

“Our door is open for anyone who wants to be a part of that togetherness because at the end of the day – no matter who you stand for – the whole point of UCLA is to be together in grieving the lives of Palestinians, grieving the lives of Israelis and to wish for peace ahead,” he said. “It’s not a two-sided issue. It’s all of us hoping for life, peace and love in the future to come.”