Israelis mourn third-year anniversary of October 7 attack by Hamas

Israelis gathered on Wednesday to mark the third-year anniversary of the October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage by Hamas, sparking the devastating war in Gaza. In southern Israel, families mourned at intersections, bomb shelters, and the site of a music festival that Hamas-led militants overran three years ago in the deadliest attack against Israel. It is the first anniversary that all the hostages are home.

For Palestinians, the anniversary marks the start of an Israeli retaliatory campaign in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people and left its population of two million living in desperate conditions. More than half the territory remains in the hands of the Israeli military, and despite a ceasefire deal reached nearly a year ago, Israeli strikes continue almost daily. Israeli troops also occupy a large chunk of southern Lebanon in their conflict with Hezbollah, which began firing on the nation in 2023, in support of Hamas.

People attend a memorial service in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, southern Israel Credit: AP Iran and the US are locked in a confrontation that has seen attacks across Arab Gulf countries and has shaken the global economy - a conflict that Israel helped launch and that the Gaza war paved the way for even if they weren’t directly connected. On Wedneday morning, many Israelis visited the site of the Nova music festival, near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, where hundreds of revellers were killed and abducted, to mark the anniversary.

Elkana Bohbot, 37, was abducted from the festival and is marking the anniversary in Israel for the first time, after being released from 738 days of captivity last year. For most of that time, he said, he was held 50 metres (165 feet) underground in a dark, damp tunnel. Bohbot was kept in a small cell with other hostages, given very little food, and allowed to bathe only every few weeks, he said. His captors forced him to take part in several propaganda videos.

Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning. In the 11 months since his release, Bohbot has undergone physical and emotional rehabilitation, written a book, begun a speaking career, traveled with his family, and celebrated all the holidays and birthdays he missed. In August, his wife, Rivka, gave birth to a daughter, fulfilling a fierce promise that Bohbot made to himself in the tunnels to give his 5-year-old son, Reem, a sibling.

The newborn Michele is “not a symbol for my people, she is more of a symbol for the enemy,” Bohbot said. “So this child is the message for you that we were here, and we will always be here forever.” No events are expected on Wednesday in Gaza, where Israel’s offensive has devastated the narrow strip and displaced around 90% of its population, often multiple times. Restrictions on the entry of goods and aid have contributed to a severe hunger crisis.

More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Health Ministry Credit: AP The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in a 2025 report, which the government strongly denies. More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its figures but says around half were women and children.

The numbers from the ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. While a ceasefire that took effect on October 10 has halted the heaviest fighting, Israeli strikes have continued, targeting what Israel says are Hamas militants. Since the ceasefire, 1,145 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the ministry. Seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in that period.

Saudi-backed Yemeni forces expel Houthis from around key strait, officials say Afghan women’s fight to learn and earn five years after Taliban bans Hamas portrayed the October 7 attack as a response to decades of Israeli military occupation, land seizures and settlement construction. But the Palestinians’ dream of an independent state appears even more distant. An election in Israel at the end of the month hangs over this year's anniversary, with divisions over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war and his reluctance to launch an official inquiry into failings of the day.

Netanyahu's chief rival is Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief whose son and nephew were killed in battle in Gaza. The opponents have pledged to form a government of "repair and reconstruction”, beginning with the formation of an official commission of inquiry into October 7. In the UK, s tudents will take to the streets across the country for pro-Palestine marches on Wednesday, despite police repeating a plea to demonstrators to not go ahead.

Released hostage Elkana Bohbot in Kadima Zoran, Israel, in September Credit: AP The decision to march in support of Palestine on Wednesday has faced some backlash, with Jewish student leaders calling the planned protests “outrageous”. Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman, who leads Met Operations including public order policing, said the event’s date “will be a day of mourning and reflection for many in London”, and acknowledged the “serious concerns that this event has caused Jewish communities in particular”.

He added: “I would like to take this opportunity – again – to call on anyone intending to join this march to please reflect on the impact and distress it will cause on this very significant date, and exercise your right to protest on a different day.” Data from the Community Security Trust (CST), published in August, suggested antisemitism in the UK spiked in the immediate aftermath of the US and Israel launching their war on Iran and following the stabbing of two Jewish men in London.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham assured the British Jewish community “we stand with you” against antisemitism, and said his government is “committed to protecting our citizens from vile hatred”. Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...