Israelis mark three years since October 7 as Palestinians

Israelis observe the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks with solemn vigils and a looming general election, while Palestinians endure devastation in Gaza.

More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Health Ministry, alongside more than 1,200 people killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks three years ago. That grim ledger defines the landscape as Israelis mark the third anniversary of the October 7 cross-border incursion, while Palestinians live amid the ruins of a devastated strip and a wider Middle East remains locked in regional conflict.

Mourners gathered on Wednesday at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, near the Gaza border, standing in silent tribute as a trumpet played a solemn bugle call. A resident read out a roll call of the dead at the community where Hamas militants killed dozens of Israelis and took 19 hostages back into Gaza three years ago. Across southern Israel, families gathered at intersections, bomb shelters, and the site of the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Reim, where more than 350 people were killed. People hugged at 6:29 a.m., the exact time the first rockets were launched, as distant booms from explosions in Gaza echoed across the area.

Who remembers and who mourns across the border?

For Israelis, this year's anniversary marks the first since all the hostages were home, bringing a new stage of grief. Elkana Bohbot, 37, marked the day in Israel for the first time after being released from 738 days of captivity last year. Abducted from the festival, Bohbot recounted being held 50 meters underground in a dark, damp tunnel with little food and permission to bathe only every few weeks.

Video: Vigils For Gaza Held To Mark Three Years Since October 7 | 10’s Late News — 10 News (YouTube)

So this child is the message for you that we were here, and we will always be here forever.
Elkana Bohbot, via Associated Press

In August, his wife, Rivka, gave birth to a daughter, Michele, fulfilling a promise Bohbot made to himself in the tunnels. Bohbot told The Associated Press that the newborn is more of a symbol for the enemy, standing as proof of survival.

Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza marked no official events on Wednesday. Umm Mohammad, a mother of five displaced from Gaza City and now living in a tent encampment in Deir Al-Balah, described how the war ripped her family apart. She told News24 that her sons and daughters were scattered to separate tents and different parts of the strip, noting that we recall how happy, despite all problems, we were before the war broke out, destroying everything we loved.

What political battles overshadow the memorials in Jerusalem?

The anniversary arrives under the shadow of a contentious Israeli general election scheduled for October 27, which is being viewed as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long tenure in power. Protesters marching against what they view as a lack of accountability for the October 7 security failure gathered outside parliament in Jerusalem. Demonstrators blamed Netanyahu for refusing an independent inquiry into the attack, holding signs reading, The people will remember 7 October on 27 October.

Netanyahu has rejected blame for the security breach and resisted calls for an independent investigation, telling a cabinet meeting on the eve of the anniversary that Israelis remember with grief and pain our heroes who fell in the War of Redemption and our brothers and sisters who fell in the terrible massacre in the Gaza border communities. Election polls show neither Netanyahu nor his main competitors would muster enough seats in parliament to form a coalition if a vote were held today. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot, head of the opposition Yashar party, visited memorial sites to meet with sobbing family members and campaign ahead of the vote.

How has the war transformed the wider Middle East?

The October 7 attack set in motion a cascade of events that expanded far beyond Gaza. Israeli troops occupy a large chunk of southern Lebanon in their conflict with Hezbollah, leaving more than 300,000 Lebanese displaced. Iran and the United States are locked in a confrontation that has resulted in attacks across Gulf Arab countries, shaking the global economy after two rounds of strikes on Iran's military and nuclear program.

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state flags to fly at half-staff Wednesday in solidarity with Israel, stating that Texas stands with Israel and with the Jewish community. Iran's military chief issued a fresh claim that Israel's decline accelerated after October 7, while violence has risen across the Israeli-occupied West Bank as extremist settlers attack Palestinians and destroy their property.

What is the current reality inside Gaza?

Nearly the entire population of Gaza has been displaced, often multiple times, with about 90 per cent living in vast, squalid tent camps or bombed-out buildings. Israel remains in control of around two-thirds of Gaza, having demolished remaining buildings and ordered residents out, while Hamas controls the remaining third along the coast where 2 million people reside.

A ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, halted major fighting, but it has failed to stop Israeli attacks or secure the disarmament of Hamas. Since the ceasefire, 1,460 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, alongside seven Israeli soldiers, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Israeli officials. Restrictions on the entry of goods and aid continue to drive a severe hunger crisis, and air strikes persist, such as recent strikes in Beit Lahia and Khan Younis that killed at least two Palestinians on Wednesday.

Watch for the upcoming Israeli general election on October 27, which will test public demand for government accountability, as well as the ongoing enforcement and stability of the regional ceasefire against a backdrop of continued daily strikes.