Israel marks three years since October 7 attack as election looms

Israelis will commemorate the victims of the October 7 Hamas attack three years on, as the Gaza ceasefire remains fragile and a pivotal election approaches. Israelis will on Wednesday mark three years since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a military assault that destroyed much of Gaza, where conditions remain dire despite a year-old ceasefire that is meant to halt the war for good. The attacks, during which militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza, marked the deadliest day in Israel’s history. Israel’s subsequent bombardment and ground operations have killed more than 74,000 people in Gaza, health authorities there say. On Wednesday, Israelis will hold a vigil at the site of the Nova music festival near the Gaza border, where 348 young people were killed by militants during the attack. They will also hold an event commemorating the anniversary at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. Israeli election 20 days away The anniversary is the first for Israelis without any hostages still held in Gaza, with those dead and alive exchanged in swaps with Hamas for Palestinians held in Israeli jails. The remains of the last Israeli hostage were recovered in January. It also comes just 20 days ahead of Israel’s first election since the attack, a vote that is viewed as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long tenure in power. Netanyahu has rejected blame for the security breach and resisted calls for an independent investigation. That has frustrated many in Israel, including families of those killed in the attacks, some of whom have joined the election race. A poll by the Israel Democracy Institute showed that 68% of Jewish Israelis said that the events of October 7 were a very central or fairly central element in their decision of which party to vote for. Election polls show neither Netanyahu nor his main competitors would muster enough seats in parliament to form a coalition if a vote were held today. Ceasefire fails to end Gaza violence The anniversary is also the first since an October 10, 2025, US-brokered ceasefire deal that halted major fighting but has failed to stop Israeli attacks in Gaza or secure the disarmament of Hamas and other militant groups. The deal left Israel in control of some 53% of Gaza, since expanded by Israeli forces to nearly two-thirds. Hamas controls the remaining third, where the 2 million population mostly live in makeshift tents and bombed out buildings. US President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” has proposed several plans that would see Gaza rebuilt. But those plans, which fail to account for the property rights of Palestinians whose homes were destroyed, have failed to gain the buy-in of Israel or Hamas, which are still deadlocked in ceasefire talks. The two have yet to agree on the terms of a deal that would see Hamas lay down its weapons in exchange for Israeli troop withdrawals. Israel says it will not pull back until Hamas fully disarms; Hamas says it has agreed to a phased process but will not disarm so long as Israeli attacks continue. Israel has kept up a bombing campaign in Gaza that has killed a number of Hamas militants in recent months but has also killed many civilians, say Gaza health authorities, whose death figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. More than 1,400 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since the October 2025 ceasefire, the health authorities say. During the same time, five Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants or in combat, the military says.