Israel marks third anniversary of October 7 attack as elections near
Israel held silent commemorations on Wednesday for the third anniversary of Hamas's attack, even as new strikes hit Gaza. The anniversary has become a central theme ahead of the upcoming election.
Israel commemorated three years since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Wednesday. The events were accompanied by fresh strikes on Gaza and sharp political debate, with elections only weeks away.
Remembrance at the attack sites
At the Nova music festival site, where Hamas militants arrived in trucks and on paragliders and opened fire around dawn, relatives bowed their heads in silence. One person chose to play techno music in tribute. Katia Zohar, whose 23-year-old daughter Bar was killed, described the start of the attack at 6:29 am as the minute that changed their lives forever. Anna Davitashvili, whose 25-year-old son Shaun died at the festival, played the last track the partygoers had been dancing to when the attack began.
At Nova and at Kfar Aza kibbutz, AFP reporters heard loud blasts from Gaza as Israel carried out new strikes, although a ceasefire has officially been in place for a year. Gaza officials said five people were killed.
In the evening, several thousand people gathered in a Tel Aviv park for a memorial organised by survivors and bereaved families and broadcast on major television channels. It was co-hosted by former hostage Eli Sharabi, who lost his wife and two daughters in the attack.
Political contest
Elections will be held on October 27, the first since the attack. Polls show a tight race for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett called the attack a colossal failure of the state, while Democrats leader Yair Golan criticised the government for not ending Hamas's rule. Netanyahu pledged to complete the mission and hold the perpetrators to account. US President Donald Trump called the attack a horrible tragedy.
Hamas issued a statement calling October 7 a glorious day in its people's history.
Toll
The attack killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants took 251 hostages into Gaza, 44 of them already dead. Israel's offensive has killed more than 74,200 people, according to Gaza's health ministry.
