Jerusalem: Israelis will mark three years since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, an assault that triggered Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, where humanitarian conditions remain severe despite a year-old ceasefire intended to end the conflict.
The Hamas-led attack killed around 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 hostages taken to Gaza. It was the deadliest day in Israel’s history. Israel’s subsequent airstrikes and ground operations have killed more than 74,000 people in Gaza, according to health authorities in the territory.
Commemorations on Wednesday will include a vigil at the site of the Nova music festival near the Gaza border, where 348 young people were killed during the attack. A separate anniversary event will be held at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv.
At 6:29 a.m. on October 7, 2023, Palestinian Hamas terrorists invaded Israel. They stormed communities, murdered families in their homes, raped, burned and kidnapped. Three years on, Israel remembers the victims and the barbarity of Palestinian jihadist terrorism. We will never forget. #UNFORGO7TEN
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) October 7, 2026
The anniversary is the first since all Israeli hostages were either released in exchanges with Palestinians held in Israeli prisons or, in the case of those who died, had their remains returned. The remains of the final Israeli hostage were recovered in January.
The anniversary also falls just 20 days before Israel’s first election since the October 7 attack. The vote is widely viewed as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long tenure.
Netanyahu has rejected responsibility for the security failure and opposed calls for an independent investigation. The position has angered many Israelis, including families of those killed in the attack, with some relatives entering the election race.
An Israel Democracy Institute poll found that 68 percent of Jewish Israelis consider the events of October 7 either very or fairly important in deciding which party to support.
Meanwhile, the October 10, 2025 US-brokered ceasefire halted major fighting but has not ended Israeli attacks in Gaza or resolved disputes over the disarmament of Hamas and other militant groups.
Israel currently controls nearly two-thirds of Gaza, while Hamas controls the remaining area, where much of the population lives in makeshift shelters and damaged buildings.
US President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ has proposed plans for rebuilding Gaza, but the proposals have not secured support from either Israel or Hamas. The two sides remain divided over a deal under which Hamas would surrender its weapons in return for an Israeli troop withdrawal.
Israel says it will not withdraw until Hamas is fully disarmed, while Hamas says it has accepted a phased disarmament process but will not give up its weapons while Israeli attacks continue.
Gaza health authorities say more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed since the October 2025 ceasefire. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel’s military says five Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants or in combat during the same period.
Three years after the October 7 attack, the conflict continues to shape Israel’s political landscape while Gaza faces an ongoing humanitarian crisis. With disagreements over Hamas’ disarmament and Israeli troop withdrawals unresolved, prospects for a lasting peace remain uncertain.
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