Israelis held memorials on the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack, including a vigil at the Nova festival site, 20 days before a national election.
Israelis on Wednesday marked three years since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, an assault that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages and set off a war that health authorities in Gaza say has killed more than 74,000 people. Reuters reported the anniversary from Jerusalem.
A vigil was planned at the Nova music festival site near the Gaza border, where 348 young people were killed, and an event was set for Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. NBC News reported memorials at homes, roadsides, kibbutzim and the festival site.
The last Israeli hostage's body was recovered in January, Reuters reported, so this is the first anniversary with no hostages still held. The date also falls 20 days before Israel's first election since the attack, widely treated as a verdict on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has rejected blame for the security failure and resisted an independent inquiry.
A ceasefire that took effect on October 10 has largely held for nearly a year, but Reuters and AP reported that Israeli strikes have continued and that conditions in Gaza remain dire, with most residents displaced. AP said that since the ceasefire, 1,145 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the local health ministry.
Israel's National Security Council warned Israelis abroad to raise vigilance on the anniversary, according to a statement issued by Netanyahu's office and reported by NBC News. The anniversary reporting is a commemoration, not a new military agreement.
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- Families gathered at the Nova site and at Hostage Square to mark the anniversary.
- Israel's National Security Council warned Israelis abroad to exercise heightened vigilance.