GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "News Hour."

Today marks two years since Hamas launched its deadly October 7 attacks on Israel.

Commemorations are taking place across Israel today, as delegations representing Israel and Hamas are in Egypt for indirect cease-fire talks.

The cease-fire negotiations over the war in Gaza that continued in Egypt today center on a new two-part U.S.

proposal.

The first phase calls for a cease-fire, a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas, in exchange for up to 2,000 Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.

The second phase focuses on establishing a long-term governance structure for Gaza.

But the two sides remain far apart.

A Hamas spokesman said any deal must guarantee an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal, terms Israel has never accepted.

Israel, in turn, insists Hamas must disarm, a condition the group continues to reject, while, in Gaza today, health officials said the death toll had surpassed 67,000, 30 percent of them children.

And Israeli forces today continued shelling Gaza despite the ongoing talks, as Israel marks the second anniversary of the bloodiest terror attack in that nation's history, the October 7 attacks, the terrorist group Hamas killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others.

There are believed to be 50 hostages still held in Gaza, 20 believed to be alive.

Israelis took to the streets to mourn the loss of loved ones, while also demanding the release of those still held by Hamas.

Among those kidnapped were the wife and three young children of Israeli farmer Avihai Brodutch, a resident of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the bloodiest sites of the attack.

They were released in November 2023 after being held hostage for 51 days as part of a limited cease-fire deal.

I spoke with him yesterday about his family's experience and what he hopes for Israel's future.

Avihai Brodutch, welcome to the "News Hour."

AVIHAI BRODUTCH, Husband and Father of Former Hostages: Thanks for having me.

GEOFF BENNETT: It's now been two years since your family was taken and then freed by Hamas.

You lived through a moment of unimaginable uncertainty and horror, months of not knowing if your family would be returned home.

How do you carry that experience with you today?

AVIHAI BRODUTCH: Well, I have my family here with me.

It's a holiday in Israel right now.

We're celebrating Sukkot.

So, my family is with me.

We're actually with friends now from Kfar Aza, from the kibbutz as well.

So it's much better, better than it was for me two years ago, obviously.

But the friends we're at right now, he had his brother killed on October 7.

And we're still living it up to this day.

We still have two hostages, Gali and Ziv, in Gaza.

So every time we sit down together, we talk about October 7.

It still hasn't passed.

We talk about the war.

But it's still very, very hard for us, obviously, for my family, for my wife, who's been kidnapped, and my kids.

But we are rehabilitating.

And, obviously, we're very, very lucky and we feel very privileged to be alive.

So it's a mix of feelings every day.

GEOFF BENNETT: You once said, that after your family's release, that was when the real challenge started, and that was rebuilding ordinary life.

Two years later, what does ordinary look like for you and your family?

AVIHAI BRODUTCH: We still don't live at home.

We live in another kibbutz in Shefayim (ph).

It's in the center of Israel.

It's a temporary home.

We have to leave next year.

And we have to find a new place to live.

Our house still hasn't been rebuilt.

It needs a lot of fixing up to do.

So if we ever move in -- I have to say that most of my neighbors were killed on that day, so I'm not too sure if -- like, right now, my family doesn't want to move back.

I'm not too sure if they would ever want to move back.

But as long as this war is still going on and the hostages are still over there, I'm not sure where it will take us.

GEOFF BENNETT: With Hamas now agreeing, in principle, at least, to release the hostages, both living and dead, what does that signal to you about the path forward?

Do you see this as a major turning point or just another phase in a long process?

AVIHAI BRODUTCH: I am very optimistic.

I think what President Trump has done and what he's doing for Israel, what he's doing for the Middle East, I think we can see the fruits of it right now.

And I think at least we're going to -- we did quite a few steps forward.

I think we're going to get some good news finally after waiting for so long.

I think Hamas are tired.

I think the Israeli people and the Israeli government is tired of this war.

I think we all want this war to be over.

We're tired of counting our dead.

I'm sure the Palestinians are tired of counting their dead.

And I think it's time.

I think it's time we stop, both sides.

Make a deal and think forward.

Think of our children.

I think of my children.

They have been through so much, so much sorrow and pain.

And I want them to live good lives.

I want them to think good things about their neighbors.

I know it's hard.

It's hard to say.

They were kidnapped from their homes.

These people killed their friends, my friends.

But I think we should end this.

I think it's time we start thinking about peace between our people.

GEOFF BENNETT: You were outspoken early on about the Israeli government's response to the hostages.

Now, two years on, what's your assessment of Israeli leadership?

AVIHAI BRODUTCH: I think this should have been solved a long time ago.

I want to say it should have ended a few days after October 7.

I think we should have struck a deal to get the hostages back much sooner.

I was never in favor of what this government has done since October 7, obviously, before October 7, do everything -- not protecting us on October 7 and not doing the right things afterwards to get the hostages back.

I think my family and other families were taken from their homes, literally from their beds into Gaza.

And the government hasn't done enough to get them back.

I think they had other ideas in their minds.

And -- but I try to think of the future, not of the past.

GEOFF BENNETT: As you look ahead, what do you want the most for your family and for the families who are still waiting for their loved ones to come home?

AVIHAI BRODUTCH: Well, I want the families who are waiting to have the opportunity to sit and speak about their families like I do, sitting behind them, having dinner with them, celebrating the holidays.

I really want them to have what I had, what I got back.

I'm really, really privileged and really lucky.

And I had a big miracle happen to me.

I want the families who could still have that have that as soon as possible.

I want my family to rehabilitate.

It's going to -- it's a journey.

It's a journey and it's going to take some time, but we have so much support from the Israeli people, from people all over the world.

It's just amazing, the amount of support that we get wherever we go, whoever we speak to, whoever we meet.

And I really, really hope for the families of the hostages to just have what I have.

That's all I wish for.

Every day for the past two years, that's all I have wished for.

GEOFF BENNETT: Avihai Brodutch, thank you for your time, and my best to you and your family.

AVIHAI BRODUTCH: Thank you very much.