Israelis on Wednesday commemorated the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 others being taken hostage, an assault that triggered the devastating war in Gaza.
Families gathered across southern Israel, including at the site of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of people were killed during the attack. The commemoration is the first since all the hostages, both living and dead, were returned to Israel.
At the Nova festival site near Re’im, relatives and survivors gathered around photographs of those killed. More than 350 people were killed at and around the festival site, according to Israeli authorities.
Families observed the moment the attack began, with some embracing at 6:29 a.m., when the first rockets were launched towards Israel three years ago.
Anya Davitashili, whose 25-year-old son Sean was killed, said she continues to visit the festival site regularly to remember him.
For former hostages, the anniversary has brought back memories of captivity. Elkana Bohbot, 37, who was abducted from the festival, is marking the date in Israel for the first time since his release after 738 days in captivity.
Bohbot said he spent much of his captivity underground in a dark tunnel, where he was held with other hostages and subjected to difficult conditions. Since his release, he has undergone physical and emotional rehabilitation.
The war has also brought widespread devastation to Gaza, where Palestinian residents continue to live amid destroyed homes and damaged infrastructure.
The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began. Large areas of Gaza’s cities have been reduced to rubble, while many residents remain displaced in makeshift shelters.
Palestinian residents described the destruction as unprecedented in their experience.
Walid Akram, a resident of Gaza City who has been displaced by the conflict, said the past three years had brought levels of death and destruction that he had not previously experienced.
Raed Khozeiq, from the Tel al-Hawa area, said his coastal neighbourhood had been largely destroyed and that his life had been transformed by the war.
Hamas, in a statement marking the anniversary, described the October 7 attack as an act of “heroism, resilience and national solidarity” and said it had brought renewed international attention to the Palestinian cause.
The broader conflict has also reshaped the region, with Israel involved in fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon and tensions between Israel, Iran and the United States contributing to wider regional instability.
Since the ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, the Gaza Health Ministry says Israeli strikes have killed 1,460 Palestinians, while seven Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same period.
The ministry also says restrictions on the entry of goods and humanitarian aid have contributed to worsening food insecurity in Gaza.
The anniversary therefore comes as Israelis remember those killed and abducted in the October 7 attack, while Palestinians in Gaza continue to confront the consequences of years of conflict, displacement and destruction.
