Israel Marks Three Years Since October 7 Attacks

On October 7, 2026, Israel marked three years since the Hamas-led cross-border attacks of October 7, 2023, the deadliest day in the country’s history. Across more than 400 locations, Israelis gathered for moments of silence, memorials, and protests. The attacks resulted in 1,200 deaths and the abduction of 251 hostages, setting off a military assault and subsequent war that has left over 74,000 Palestinians dead in the Gaza Strip, as reported by Reuters and the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Memorials and Grassroots Protests Across Israel

Commemorations began at 6:29 in the morning with a national moment of silence, matching the exact minute the initial assault commenced three years prior. Memorial events took place at the Nova festival site in the Re’im Forest, where over 370 people were murdered and 44 abducted. In Kfar Aza, a kibbutz near the Gaza border overrun during the incursion, residents gathered in silence on Wednesday to mourn. Berlzon, Emily Rose, and Nidal al-Muhgrabi reported for Reuters that community members described the anniversary as a very difficult and emotional day.

In contrast to official state memorials held earlier in the week, Wednesday’s events were largely grassroots efforts organized by survivors and victims’ families through groups like the October Council and the Kumu movement. Demonstrators gathered outside parliament in Jerusalem to demand government accountability, blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for refusing an independent inquiry into the security failures of 2023.

Devastation and Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

While Israelis marked the anniversary with memorials and protests, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip recalled life before a war that displaced nearly the entire population. The enclave has been transformed beyond recognition by three years of sustained aerial and ground bombardment. The United States-brokered ceasefire reached on October 10, 2025, halted major fighting but failed to stop ongoing Israeli strikes or secure Hamas’s disarmament, with at least 1,400 Palestinians killed in the past year alone, according to Reuters and Ministry of Health figures.

The territory remains severely fractured geographically and economically. Reuters reported that Israel currently controls approximately two-thirds of Gaza, demolishing remaining buildings and ordering residents out, while Hamas controls the remaining third where two million people mostly live in makeshift tents. Gaza’s health system is near collapse, with all 36 hospitals damaged and only 19 functioning, alongside widespread disruption affecting roughly 700,000 school-aged children.

Political Stakes Ahead of the Israeli Election

The three-year anniversary arrives 20 days ahead of a scheduled Israeli general election on October 27, 2026. Protesters and political figures have used the public memory of October 7 to demand leadership changes. Reuters noted that demonstrators carried signs reading The people will remember October 7 on October 27, reflecting deep public friction over national security oversight and political accountability. Rival politicians, including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot, spent the anniversary visiting border communities and criticizing the current administration’s handling of intelligence and post-war planning.

Netanyahu knows better than anyone why he is running from the truth, why he wants to bury the truth.

Gadi Eisenkot