Two years have passed since the October 7, 2023 attacks — a day of unspeakable violence and loss. The horror and grief experienced by Israeli families that day was immense. In the months and years that followed, the scale of suffering in Gaza has also been devastating, with tens of thousands of civilians killed and entire communities destroyed. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, daily life continues under the weight of occupation, fear, and uncertainty.

One member of Encompass said:

“We’ve buried friends, colleagues, and children. We want to remember them too — to remember that we’re people who love, dream, and grieve, not just victims or headlines.”

That sentiment could just as easily belong to an Israeli family who lost loved ones on October 7, or to a Palestinian family who has endured loss every day since. The fact that both can speak the same words of grief and fear is an abject failure of the respect for human dignity and human rights that we so desperately need now.

If there is ever to be lasting peace, the next generation — Israeli and Palestinian alike — will need to take the brave step of recognising one another’s shared humanity. Only from that recognition can hope and reconciliation begin.

Today, as fragile ceasefire and peace proposals are once again on the table, we hold close the values that guide the Daniel Braden Encompass Trust — peace, dignity, and respect for human rights for all people. Any peace settlement must be rooted in these values if it is to endure. Hostages must be released. Innocently imprisoned Palestinians must be released. Bombardments must stop. Famine alleviated. The assaults on everyday Palestinians in the West Bank, their forced displacement and the expansion of illegal settlements must end. One side cannot triumph over the people of the other. Real peace will only come when both can live in safety, freedom, and dignity.

Whatever paths political leaders may choose, those principles must remain non-negotiable. The memory of all who have been lost — Israeli and Palestinian alike — demands nothing less.