Israel marks three years since Oct. 7 attack as election looms

Israel observed the third anniversary of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Wednesday with nationwide memorials and renewed demands for a state inquiry into the security failures that enabled the assault. At the Nova festival site and Kfar Aza kibbutz, families held a minute of silence at 6:29 a.m., the moment the attack began, while Israeli strikes hit Gaza despite a ceasefire. Gaza health officials reported five Palestinians killed in the strikes.

The commemoration comes weeks before the Oct. 27 election, the first since the attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rivals have placed Oct. 7 at the center of their campaigns. Opponents argue Netanyahu bears responsibility for the worst security failure in Israel's history, while his defenders say he was betrayed by the military establishment and led a dramatic rebound.

“Remember what happened. Investigate how it happened. Don't cut corners. Don't let time blur the truth, don't rewrite history, and don't let history repeat itself.”

Former hostage Eli Sharabi, held for 491 days before his release, hosted a memorial ceremony in Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park attended by roughly 50,000 people. Sharabi, whose wife and two daughters were killed on Oct. 7 and whose brother died in captivity, urged the crowd to "remember what happened" and "investigate how it happened." Opposition figures, including former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, attended the event.

No independent state commission of inquiry has been established three years after the attack. Netanyahu's government has resisted such a probe, backing legislation for a politically appointed investigation instead. Families of victims say the failure was not limited to Oct. 7 but reflects a long process of neglect.

The Oct. 7 assault killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 taken hostage to Gaza. Israel's subsequent military offensive in Gaza has killed over 74,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, and expanded into conflicts with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iranian targets, and Syrian territory. Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran's government remain intact despite Netanyahu's pledge of "total victory."