Israel Remembers October 7 Three Years On as Gaza Endures the Ruins

Mourning at the festival site

More than 350 people were killed in and around the Nova grounds, and hundreds came to pay respects, standing among photographs of those they lost. Footage from the day showed gunmen shooting at people as they ran and attacking those hiding in nearby shelters.

Anya Davitashili, whose 25-year-old son Sean died there, comes every Saturday because it is where she feels nearest to him. She still watches a clip of him dancing that cuts off at 6:29 a.m., and says each morning begins with an emptiness that never fades.

Political rivals also appeared. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who wants to replace Netanyahu, spoke with weeping relatives, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar! party met families at a shelter where many people died.

A freed hostage's first anniversary at home

Elkana Bohbot, 37, was taken from the festival and spent 738 days in captivity, most of it in a damp, lightless tunnel. He says he was crammed into a tiny cell with other captives, fed very little and allowed to wash only once every few weeks. His captors also made him appear in propaganda recordings, including a staged phone call to his family.

Since coming home he has gone through physical and psychological recovery. In August his wife, Rivka, gave birth to a daughter, keeping a promise he made himself underground to give their 5-year-old son a sibling.

Gaza among the rubble

No gatherings were planned in Gaza, though Hamas issued a statement praising the attack as an act of courage and said it had put the Palestinian cause back on the world stage. Residents describe a different reality. Most have been displaced and live in crowded tent camps, with large parts of Gaza's cities flattened.

Gaza's Health Ministry, which UN agencies and independent experts generally treat as reliable, says more than 74,000 Palestinians have died, about half of them women and children. A ceasefire began on October 10, 2025, and stopped the worst of the fighting, yet Israeli strikes have continued, and the ministry counts 1,460 deaths since it took effect. Seven Israeli soldiers have also died in that time. Israel's military still holds more than half of the territory, and limits on aid and goods have fed a hunger crisis, according to food security specialists.

A changed region and the election ahead

The attack set off a chain of conflicts. Israeli troops now hold ground in southern Lebanon, where more than 300,000 people remain displaced, and Israel has taken territory in Syria. The United States joined Israel in two rounds of strikes on Iran's military and nuclear sites, a confrontation that has spread to Gulf states and rattled global markets. Violence has also climbed in the occupied West Bank.

Looking ahead, Israelis vote on October 27, and the campaign is slowing decisions on Gaza. Reporting from mid-September said the US-backed Board of Peace, meant to guide Gaza's political transition, had seen Netanyahu block some of its plans. Envoy Jared Kushner blamed Israeli election politics for the stalemate over disarming Hamas, and the Israeli military reported 14 ceasefire violations between September 4 and 15.