Israelis mark Oct. 7 anniversary as Palestinians endure the war it unleashed

Israelis gathered Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, to mark the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attack. Families held memorials at intersections, shelters and the Nova music festival site near Kibbutz Reim in southern Israel.

The assault killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. This was the first anniversary since all the hostages, living and dead, had been returned.

Families gather at festival site

Near Reim, relatives looked at photographs of those killed, while hundreds paid respects to more than 350 people who died at and around the festival. At 6:29 a.m.—the time the first rockets were launched on Oct. 7, 2023—survivors’ relatives embraced as explosions sounded in nearby Gaza.

Elkana Bohbot, abducted from the festival, marked the anniversary in Israel for the first time since his release. He said he spent 738 days in captivity, mostly in an underground tunnel, and has undergone physical and emotional rehabilitation since returning.

Palestinians face devastation in Gaza

No public events were expected in Gaza. Hamas praised the attack as an example of “heroism, resilience and national solidarity,” saying it had brought renewed global attention to the Palestinian cause.

More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. The Hamas-run ministry does not distinguish between civilians and militants, and says women and children account for about half of the deaths.

War reshapes the wider region

A ceasefire that began Oct. 10, 2025, halted the heaviest fighting, but Israeli strikes have continued almost daily. Since the truce, 1,460 Palestinians and seven Israeli soldiers have been killed, the ministry said.

The anniversary came amid political tension ahead of an Israeli election scheduled for the end of October. Separate memorials reflected disputes over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his handling of the war and his reluctance to open an official inquiry into the failures surrounding Oct. 7.

The attack was followed by conflicts involving Lebanon, Syria and Iran. More than 300,000 Lebanese remain displaced, while violence has also increased in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.