Israel on Wednesday marked the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, with President Isaac Herzog lighting a candle at his Jerusalem residence at 6:29 am, the exact starting time of the attack that killed around 1,200 people. Herzog wrote on X that the nation was still grappling with pain, loss, and memories that would not be erased. The police also gathered at "southern battle sites," including in Sderot, a city near the Gaza border, to commemorate their fallen colleagues.
Mourners gathered at the site of the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im to remember relatives and friends killed in the attack, many of whom died at the festival. A central memorial ceremony was scheduled to take place in the evening at a park in Tel Aviv, expected to draw around 50,000 people. These events aimed to honor the victims and provide a space for reflection on the tragic events that occurred three years ago.
Demonstrations were held in several Israeli cities, demanding a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 attack and the failures that allowed it to happen. Protesters gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence and the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem. The protests also drew attention to the need for accountability and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Critics accuse Netanyahu and his coalition of failing to take personal responsibility for the political and military failures surrounding the attack. The anniversary of the Hamas massacre comes during the final stages of Israel’s election campaign, with voters due to elect a new parliament in three weeks. Opinion polls indicate that neither Netanyahu’s camp nor his opponents are on course for an outright majority.
The October 7, 2023, attack saw around 251 people taken hostage to the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli figures, around 6,000 militants from the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement and other extremist groups entered Israel that day. The attack led to a war that resulted in significant casualties and damage in the Gaza Strip.
In the war that followed the attack, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority there. The Israeli military said it had attacked around 100,000 targets across the region over the past three years, including 65,000 targets in the Gaza Strip, 28,000 in Lebanon and Syria, and 4,500 in Iran.
The Israeli military also reported that 970 Israeli soldiers had been killed while on duty over the past three years. The nation continues to grapple with the aftermath of the Hamas massacre, as the country seeks to come to terms with its losses and move forward.
Key points
- Israel marked the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre with ceremonies and protests.
- Critics accuse Netanyahu and his coalition of failing to take responsibility for the attack.
- The war following the attack resulted in over 74,000 Palestinian casualties.
