DAVENPORT, Iowa — Monday marks one year since Hamas carried out an attack in Israel that killed more than 1,200 people.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 42,000 Palestinians and has displaced millions living in the Gaza Strip, according to numbers from the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israelis held somber ceremonies Monday to mark a year since the deadliest attack in the country’s history. Hamas marked the anniversary by firing a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv, underscoring its resilience after a year of war and devastation in Gaza.
READ MORE: They did exactly as the Israelis ordered: A Palestinian family's year of fleeing across Gaza
Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets into Israel for the past year in support of its ally, Hamas, launched more than 170 across the border on Monday.
At least 1,400 people in Lebanon, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians, have been killed since Israel greatly expanded its strikes in that country in late September.
News 8 spoke with Quad Citizens from both sides of the conflict, who reflected and shared stories of the past year.
Rabbi Josh Tannenbaum and Rabbi Linda Bertenthal
Local Rabbi Josh Tannenbaum was with his family in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
"We were just shocked," he said. "At that point, we didn't get the whole story, we didn't really know the full extent."
Tannenbaum's family was in close proximity to the front lines, staying about 45 minutes away in the city of Ashalim for a family trip.
"At that point, it really started to sink in ... we realized our trip was changing," he recounted.
Jumping into action, Tannenbaum contacted members of the local Jewish community here in the Quad Cities to raise funds for families and soldiers. His family then traveled to the front lines, delivering supplies and boosting morale.
"There was explosions going off and rockets overhead," he said. "It felt like you were literally in the middle of a war zone."
Rabbi Linda Bertenthal said one of her cousins was taken hostage by Hamas. While they were released in a November ceasefire deal, Bertenthal said many more are still being held captive.
"One of my cousin's very best friends in the world 's daughter was taken hostage … we hope (she's) alive, we don't know."
Bertenthal said her heart breaks for not just the Jewish community but all people who have been killed, adding that she wants to see peace in the Middle East.
"Peace, not a ceasefire. I think we all want a ceasefire that allows the hostages to come free, but as a step towards real peace," she said. "And peace requires that the two people who live in this homeland acknowledge each other's right to exist."
Both rabbis said despite the ongoing war, the Jewish people continue to have hope for the future.
Quad Cities Coalition for Palestine
Hamas is the group who attacked Israel, but it's the Palestinian people in Gaza who are paying the heaviest price.
Thousands upon thousands have been killed, including women and children, and millions of others have been displaced, with many calling Gaza unrecognizable.
The Quad Cities Coalition for Palestine hosted a rally along Avenue of the Cities in Moline on Saturday, calling not only for a permanent ceasefire but for the United States to end funding towards Israel and stop its arms transfer.
"That atrocity and that's exactly what it is. It is a genocide," one of the group's co-founders, James, said. "And it's sad, and it hurts us. And this is the only thing that we can do."
It's a sentiment echoed by millions across the country and the world. Earlier this year, protests and encampments popped up on college campuses across the country calling for a "Free Palestine." Human rights groups and other countries have called Israel's actions against Palestinians genocide, which Israel denies.
"Tell me, is that right?" James said. "We've been here since Oct. 7 advocating for the rights of the Palestinians. To stop the bloodshed. We want all of it to stop."
More than 70,000 tons of explosives have been dropped on the Gaza Strip, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor. Streets have turned into a wasteland and those who are still alive describe the situation as "unliveable."
"Gaza has become an uninhabitable place, an unfit place to live safely at the very least," Ahmed Al-Agha, a displaced Palestinian, told ABC News in his native language.
"We wish to return to life before Oct. 7," Nariman Suleiman, another displaced Palestinian shared with ABC. "We used to wake up and make our breakfast. I swear since Oct. 7 I haven't made a breakfast like normal people. I don't remember making a normal breakfast like others."
The United Nations believes 10,000 bodies are still buried underneath the rubble in Gaza, meaning the true death toll could be much higher.