Reuters reports that memorial ceremonies were held Wednesday in Israel, including in Kfar Aza near the Gaza border, one of the worst hit communities during the Hamas attack. Residents held a minute of silence and read the names of the victims.
In the October 7th 2023 attack, Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages, according to data quoted by Reuters. The attack triggered the widespread Israeli military offensive in Gaza.
Reuters reports Israeli operations in Gaza have killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, while almost the entire population of territory has shifted during the conflict. The US-brokered truce in October 2025 halted fighting on the previous scale, but did not end the violence.
New victims were also on this anniversary. Reuters writes that doctors in Gaza reported Israeli attacks on Beit Lahia and Khan Yunis, while the Israeli army said that in the north it had hit two people, who described them as Hamas militants.
The anniversary is also developing under intense political pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Reuters reports that protesters gathered near parliament in Jerusalem, demanding responsibility for security failures preceding the attack. Netanyah has refused to take responsibility for the October 7th invasion and has rejected demands for an independent investigation.
The debate has become even more important because of the October 27th Israeli general elections. Reuters reported this week that at least nine people directly affected by the October 7th or family attack of victims are running for parliament. Many say they want political change and institutional responsibility.
Meanwhile, in Gaza the anniversary is seen from a completely different perspective.
Reuters reports that Palestinian displaced families are passing October 7th between destroyed buildings and improvised camps. Many of them remember their life before the war, and families that have been scattered or lost members over the past three years.
Three years after the day that changed the Middle East, October 7 continues to share two painful realities: the trauma of Israel's attack and the extraordinary destruction the subsequent war has brought to Gaza.
