ABSTRACT

Israel and Jewish communities abroad marked the third anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Wednesday, with memorial ceremonies in Israel and internationally. About 1,200 people were killed in the attack and roughly 250 taken captive to Gaza, according to The Guardian, which cites figures of about 1,200 killed and 251 taken captive, and Al Jazeera, which reports nearly 1,200 killed and about 250 taken captive. Israel's subsequent war in Gaza has killed at least 74,243 people, according to the territory's health ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable, The Guardian reports; Al Jazeera puts the toll at more than 74,000. The BBC reports that more than 1,460 people have been killed in Gaza since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect, according to the Gaza health ministry, and that the Israeli military says at least seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in the strip over the same period. BBC reports this is the first anniversary with no hostages remaining in Gaza, and that the ceasefire has not delivered peace or security.

The Guardian US

Israel marks third anniversary of October 7 attack as Gaza war continues

Oct 7, 2026, 7:53 AM

Context

Memorial events took place in Israel and other countries. The BBC reported crowds gathered at a cemetery at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where it said 64 residents were killed and 19 taken hostage on October 7, and that a national memorial event was held at Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park. Israel's UN mission held an event at UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday attended by hundreds of ambassadors, senior diplomats and guests, according to The Jerusalem Post, which said ambassadors and diplomats from the United States, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Argentina and Tanzania and other countries took part. The BBC reported a vigil at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate organised by the Jewish students' union and a vigil outside Downing Street.

In a statement released by his office on Wednesday afternoon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had lit a memorial candle commemorating every victim of October 7, according to the BBC. "We will complete the mission: we have settled the score and will continue settling the score with all the murderers," the BBC quoted him as saying. At a ceremony on Monday marking the Jewish calendar anniversary of the attack, the BBC reported Netanyahu said Israel had killed 4,000 out of the 6,000 Palestinians who infiltrated Israel from Gaza that day.

The BBC reported that Israeli anti-government protesters dyed the fountain in Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Square red, briefly blocked a main highway on Wednesday morning for a moment of silence, and held banners reading "the people will remember their sons and daughters", along with others reading "a complete failure" and "guilty" beside an image of Netanyahu. The BBC also reported that many senior Israeli defence and security officials have resigned or been fired since the attack, but that there has not been an independent commission of inquiry into what it described as Israel's worst security failure; it said Netanyahu has rejected personal responsibility and refused to establish a state inquiry led by Israel's Supreme Court, arguing recently that the judiciary would be biased against him.

At the UN event, Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said October 7 "can never be erased, rewritten or forgotten", according to The Jerusalem Post, adding that "the pain remains with us, but it did not break us". US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said "October 7 will not happen again, certainly not on this president's watch", that the attack "backfired on Iran and on the terrorist organizations operating under its sponsorship", and that "America will always stand with the Jewish people", the paper reported. The Jerusalem Post said the event centred on Eliya Cohen, abducted to Gaza and held captive for 505 days, and Ziv Abud, who survived the attack at a roadside bomb shelter near Re'im, and included remarks by IDF reservist Staff Sgt. Uriya Berlin and a performance by singer Idan Raichel.

In the occupied West Bank, Israel's military said it destroyed monuments "to terrorists" across the territory on Wednesday, according to Arab News, which reported the army spokesperson did not explicitly connect the move to the anniversary. Jenin governorate spokeswoman Hala Abu Baker told AFP that troops destroyed a stone monument and tore down commemorative posters in the Jenin area, naming Yasser Hamdouni, who she said was accused of killing an Israeli settler in 2003 and died in prison in 2016; Nablus deputy mayor Iyad Bakeer told AFP five memorials were destroyed and residents arrested. Arab News also reported that in Beit Duqqu the army destroyed the home of a Palestinian man accused of killing an Israeli settler last month, with mayor Nazmi Mansour telling AFP leaflets announced the demolition of detainee Qadri Samara's home, and an AFP journalist seeing a bulldozer clearing rubble. Arab News reported an AFP tally of 1,113 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the territory since the start of the Gaza war, and Israeli figures showing at least 49 Israelis killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations over the same period.

The BBC reported that most of Gaza is in ruins, with nearly all of the 2.1 million population still displaced, and that an estimated 80% of all structures have been destroyed or damaged, leaving more than 60 million tonnes of rubble and 1.2 million people living in tents or shelters, according to the UN. It reported that medics said at least three Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Beit Lahia and Khan Younis on Wednesday, and that the Israeli military said it struck two Hamas operatives in northern Gaza overnight, one of whom it accused of planting explosives.

International figures commented on the anniversary. The BBC reported German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the attack as a "profound rupture" and said antisemitism must be confronted with "even greater resolve"; UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said "we stand with you" and that the impact was felt in Jewish communities worldwide; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said "the unspeakable savagery and terror of 7 October must never happen again" and that the EU "remains ready to help turn today's fragile ceasefire into a durable peace, based on a two-state solution". The BBC reported US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters outside the White House on Wednesday, said he had spoken to Netanyahu and wished the people of Israel well, calling it "a horrible day, a horrible tragedy".

The Guardian reported it was marking the day with a live blog of events in Israel and around the world, and that Israeli communities affected by the massacres had spoken to its reporter about their experiences. Al Jazeera reported that Israeli society has shifted further right since the attack, citing polling and analysts who said fear and trauma had been politically mobilised; it also referenced B'Tselem recording 1,107 Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank, in text that was truncated.

All Perspectives

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Per the BBC, Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office that he had lit a memorial candle commemorating every victim of October 7, and said: "We will complete the mission: we have settled the score and will continue settling the score with all the murderers." The BBC also reported he said at a Monday ceremony that Israel had killed 4,000 of the 6,000 Palestinians who infiltrated Israel that day, and that he has rejected personal responsibility for the security failure and refused a Supreme Court-led state inquiry, arguing the judiciary would be biased against him.

Israeli anti-government protesters: According to the BBC, protesters dyed the fountain in Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Square red, briefly blocked a main highway on Wednesday morning to hold a moment of silence, and carried banners reading "the people will remember their sons and daughters", along with others reading "a complete failure" and "guilty" next to an image of Netanyahu.

Einav Zangauker, critic of the Israeli government: Zangauker, whose son Matan was held captive in Gaza and released last October under the ceasefire agreement, told Army Radio, according to the BBC: "They're trying to make us forget what happened on 7 October. We won't forget, we will demand the truth."

Zion Regev, community leader at Kibbutz Kfar Aza: Regev told Reuters, according to the BBC, that most surviving residents had yet to return home because of the trauma of what happened, and said: "This is the first time we are doing all the things here in the kibbutz. It's a very emotional day, it's a very difficult day for our community, three years after 7 October."

Ido Yakir, speaker at the Tel Aviv national memorial: According to the BBC, Yakir, described as a man who reportedly helped fend off Hamas attackers at Kibbutz Magen, praised IDF troops who "fought so bravely" during the raid and said Israel would remember everyone "who knew that they had to give their lives in order to save others".

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza: Mohammed Emad al-Din, a 38-year-old barber in Gaza City who told the BBC he had been displaced five times and whose home was destroyed, said the fear of being forced out of Gaza follows him into his dreams: "I don't believe Israel caused all this destruction for nothing. They have turned Gaza into a place that is almost impossible to live in, and I fear that we will eventually end up outside the place where we were born." Atta Saeed Hassan Shweikh, also displaced, told the BBC his son, daughter, sister and her children were killed in the war and said Palestinians were "living in graves while still alive" and had endured "severe suffering".

Danny Danon, Israel's Ambassador to the UN: According to The Jerusalem Post, Danon said at the UN event: "Three years later, we stand at the heart of the UN to say one simple thing: October 7 can never be erased, rewritten or forgotten. The pain remains with us, but it did not break us." He added that Eliya Cohen and Ziv Abud are "living testimony to the resilience of the people of Israel: Even from the inferno, we rise, recover and choose life."

Mike Waltz, US Ambassador to the UN: The Jerusalem Post reported Waltz said: "October 7 will not happen again, certainly not on this president's watch." He also said the attack "backfired on Iran and on the terrorist organizations operating under its sponsorship", and that "America will always stand with the Jewish people".

Noa Tishby, Israel's former special envoy for combating antisemitism: In a New York Post column, Tishby wrote that the anniversary should not be forgotten or its truth "twisted", and described what she called a "moral inversion" in which Israel is cast as oppressor and accused of genocide. She wrote that "there is no 'genocide' in Gaza", that Israel "was forced to fight a war it did not choose", and that criticism of Israel's government is permitted but demands that Jews define their identity on others' terms are not.

Daniel Bar-Tal, Israeli political psychologist at Tel Aviv University: Bar-Tal told Al Jazeera that October 7 shattered the myth of Israeli military invincibility, saying the confidence in Israel's technological and military superiority ended when Hamas and other groups stormed into Israel. He said the attack "disrupted [everything] immensely. It is a crisis that doesn't leave the population", and that many were shocked Netanyahu might have had prior intelligence about Hamas's plans.

Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani, Israeli sociologist: Shenhav-Shahrabani told Al Jazeera there is "no doubt that many Israelis were gripped by genuine fear after October 7, but there is also no doubt, in my view, that political forces have exploited that fear to erase virtually every achievement made over the years in Jewish-Palestinian relations". He said October 7 was "undoubtedly a watershed moment" that "has taken us back a hundred years" in collective consciousness, mutual engagement and trust, and that the "messianic and racist right" had used the catastrophe to push the boundaries of what can be said and done in Israeli politics.

West Bank Palestinian officials: Jenin governorate spokeswoman Hala Abu Baker told AFP, per Arab News, that "a memorial to the martyr Yasser Hamdouni was destroyed in the town of Yaabad, and photos of various martyrs were removed from several locations in the city of Jenin". Nablus deputy mayor Iyad Bakeer told AFP that troops destroyed five memorials to martyrs in various parts of the city and arrested scores of residents. Beit Duqqu mayor Nazmi Mansour told AFP that "the Israeli army raided the town at 4:00 am and distributed leaflets saying it would demolish the home of detainee Qadri Samara".

Israeli military: An army spokesperson told AFP, according to Arab News, that the military acted across the occupied West Bank "to destroy monuments to terrorists", without explicitly connecting the action to the anniversary; Arab News noted the spokesperson's statement did not address the anniversary link. The BBC reported the military said it struck two Hamas operatives in northern Gaza overnight, one of whom it accused of planting explosives, and that at least seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect.

Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor: According to the BBC, Merz said the Hamas-led attack marked a "profound rupture", adding: "We commemorate the victims, we share their pain", and that antisemitism must be confronted with "even greater resolve".

Andy Burnham, identified by the BBC as UK Prime Minister: The BBC reported Burnham told Britain's Jewish community: "We stand with you", and said "the impact of the attacks has been felt not just in Israel, but in Jewish communities across the world who still bear the burden of the tragic events that day".

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission: According to the BBC, von der Leyen said: "The unspeakable savagery and terror of 7 October must never happen again." She also said the European Union "remains ready to help turn today's fragile ceasefire into a durable peace, based on a two-state solution".

Donald Trump, US President: The BBC reported Trump told reporters outside the White House on Wednesday that he had spoken to Netanyahu and wished the people of Israel well, saying: "That was a horrible day, a horrible tragedy."

Position not represented in the source reporting: Hamas.

Where sources differ

Gaza death toll: The Guardian reports at least 74,243 people killed in Gaza according to the territory's health ministry, while Al Jazeera reports more than 74,000 killed. The BBC separately reports more than 1,460 killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, citing the Gaza health ministry.
West Bank Palestinian death toll: Arab News cites an AFP tally of 1,113 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers since the start of the Gaza war, while Al Jazeera cites B'Tselem recording 1,107.
Characterisation of the war in Gaza: Al Jazeera and Arab News describe the war as "genocidal" or a "genocide", while a New York Post opinion column by Noa Tishby states that "there is no 'genocide' in Gaza" and calls the accusation an abuse of language. The Guardian and BBC use neither characterisation in the supplied text.
Number of captives taken on October 7: The Guardian reports 251 taken captive, while Al Jazeera reports about 250.
UK representation: The BBC names Andy Burnham as UK Prime Minister; no other supplied source names or quotes the UK prime minister.

Gaps & Unknowns

No supplied source quotes or reports any statement from Hamas, any Palestinian armed group, or their representatives about the anniversary or the war.
The sources do not establish the current status or terms of the ceasefire beyond the BBC's account that a US-brokered deal took effect last year and has failed to deliver peace or security.
Only the BBC names Andy Burnham as UK prime minister; no other supplied source identifies or corroborates the UK government's position or its holder.
No source provides a Gaza war death toll attributed to Israeli authorities, and no source gives a breakdown of the October 7 casualties beyond totals killed and taken captive.
The sources do not establish how many hostages remain in Gaza other than the BBC's statement that none remain, nor the number released or recovered under the ceasefire.
No source gives the Israeli government's reasoning on the West Bank memorial demolitions beyond a brief military spokesperson statement, and no source reports whether the Palestinian Authority commented.
The figures cited for Palestinian deaths in the West Bank rely on different tallies (AFP and B'Tselem) and the Al Jazeera passage containing the B'Tselem figure is truncated, so the precise basis of that count is not established.
The sources do not establish the identity or affiliation of the two Hamas operatives the Israeli military said it struck in northern Gaza, nor the outcome of that strike beyond the military's account.

Sources & Further Reading

BBC World — original — by Tom McArthur
New York Post — by jpollakcap
The Jerusalem Post — by IDAN KWELLER
The Guardian US — by Martin Belam
Arab News — by AFP
Al Jazeera English — by Simon Speakman Cordall

Read the original at BBC World

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