Israel marks three years since October 7 attack with memorials and protests

Israel observes third anniversary of October 7 attack amid mourning and calls for accountability

Healfromzero.com – Israel marked three years since the October 7, 2023 assault with ceremonies, vigils and demonstrations held at more than 400 sites across the country. The anniversary arrived as public grief remains closely tied to demands for a full examination of the political and security failures surrounding the attack.

At 6:29 a.m., the time Hamas-led attackers began crossing into Israeli communities near Gaza, Israelis observed a nationwide moment of silence. The assault became the deadliest day in the country’s history, leaving more than 1,200 people dead and resulting in the abduction of 251 hostages who were taken into Gaza.

Victims included children, women, older people and entire families. The scale and personal nature of the loss continue to shape the way the anniversary is being observed, with many events led by survivors, relatives of those killed and people who were held hostage.

Memorials, reflection and public demonstrations

A second national minute of reflection is planned for noon. Bereaved families and grassroots civic groups are organizing it with participation expected from hospitals, municipal authorities, universities and private companies.

Commemorations are also being held at the Nova music festival site in the Re’im Forest. More than 370 people were killed there, while 44 others were abducted. The location has become one of the central symbols of the October 7 attack and of the civilian lives caught in its violence.

Protest convoys, public displays and other gatherings are scheduled throughout the day. While Israel conducted its official state memorial events on Monday, many of Wednesday’s activities are being organized independently by groups connected to the victims and survivors.

Among them are the October Council and the Kumu movement, whose name means “Rise Up” in Hebrew. Tens of thousands of people are expected at a national memorial event in Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening. Former hostage Eli Sharabi and actor Shani Cohen are set to host the gathering.

For many families, remembrance is inseparable from frustration with the country’s leadership. Shir Mathias, whose parents Shachar and Shlomi Mathias were killed at Kibbutz Holit near the Gaza border, urged Israelis to seek political change.

“Just before we enter October 7, I have one message,” she wrote on X. “Everyone who had their hand on the wheel, those in uniforms and suits alike — must go home. I call on all citizens of Israel, change your profile picture to the most self-evident message: ‘Everyone must go home.’”

Inquiry remains a central demand

A major demand from survivor and family groups is the creation of a state commission of inquiry. Such commissions are Israel’s strongest legal mechanism for examining national disasters and major government decisions. They can scrutinize failures across political, military and institutional levels.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted calls to establish such a commission throughout the past three years. He also has not appointed another special investigation focused on the failures of October 7, a position that has fueled criticism from victims’ families and opposition figures.

Einav Zangauker, the mother of freed hostage Matan Zangauker and a prominent government critic, described the anniversary as both deeply personal and national in meaning.

“Three years since the day that changed my life and our lives as a people. Three years of loss and pain. Three years of a basic demand for accountability. For those we lost, for those who returned and whose lives were changed forever, and for a country that deserves hope and repair.”

The anniversary comes less than three weeks before Israel’s October 27 election, placing questions of responsibility at the center of the campaign. Netanyahu’s opponents have intensified their criticism, particularly after media accounts alleged that Israel had received preliminary warnings from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt before the assault.

Gadi Eisenkot, who is polling as Netanyahu’s main election challenger, has accused the prime minister of avoiding an independent investigation. Eisenkot, whose son was killed in Gaza during the war, has characterized the events surrounding October 7 as a profound failure.

“Netanyahu knows better than anyone why he is running from the truth, why he wants to bury the truth,” he said at a recent conference.

War’s continuing toll

Netanyahu used this week’s official memorial observances to emphasize Israel’s military strength while acknowledging the enduring impact of the attack. Referring to Simchat Torah, the Jewish holiday on which the assault occurred, he said the traumatic hours of that day remain deeply etched in the national memory.

At a cabinet meeting the following day, Netanyahu indicated that further military action could lie ahead despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement that stalled a year ago. He said Israel had killed “4,000 out of 6,000” militants who entered Israel on October 7, 2023, and pledged to pursue the rest.

“We will reach all of them,” he said.

Israeli strikes in Gaza have continued on a near-daily basis. Since the war began, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the territory has said.

Three years on, the anniversary reflects several overlapping realities: a country mourning those killed, communities still living with the consequences of hostage-taking and war, and a political system facing sustained pressure to investigate how the attack was able to happen. For many participants in the memorials and protests, the call for accountability is presented not as separate from remembrance, but as part of honoring those whose lives were lost or permanently changed.