At 6:29 a.m. on Wednesday, a one-minute siren sounded in Tel Aviv, marking the exact minute the attack began three years ago. Israelis stopped where they stood. It was the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. A UN inquiry confirmed 1,200 deaths and 252 people taken hostage.
Across the border, loud bangs could still be heard. AFP reporters heard them from Gaza during the commemorations, as Israel carried out fresh strikes despite the ceasefire agreement. Gaza officials said at least two people were killed in overnight strikes.
A Nation Gathers in Grief
People gathered along Tel Aviv's beach, holding photographs of those killed. Nearby, an art installation commemorated victims and hostages, spelling out one word in large letters: "Failure." Some Israelis used the day to renew calls for an independent inquiry into the attacks.
A group representing bereaved families organised the tributes, including the moment of silence at 6:29 a.m. and a ceremony scheduled for that night in Tel Aviv. In southern Israel, families mourned at road junctions, bomb shelters and the Nova music festival site, places militants overran in what the article described as the deadliest attack against Israel. At Nova, where Hamas militants in trucks and paragliders opened fire around dawn, relatives bowed their heads in silence. At least one person played techno music in tribute to the fallen, AFP reported.
This was the first anniversary on which all surviving hostages had returned home, bringing a new phase of mourning. Elkana Bohbot, 37, abducted from the Nova festival, was in Israel for the anniversary for the first time. He was freed last year after 738 days in captivity, most of them in a tunnel 50 metres underground. The birth of his daughter in August, he said, was his message to his captors: "we [Israelis] were here, and we will always be here forever".
The Question of Accountability
Wednesday's gatherings were separate from the government's official memorial services, which it held on 5 October to fall closer to the anniversary in the Hebrew calendar. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed there would be "no forgiveness for the murderers" and promised never to allow Hamas to rule in Gaza.
For many bereaved families, the demand is different: answers. More than 200 former hostages and relatives wrote to Netanyahu last year, demanding an inquiry into the attacks or his resignation. Israel's leader did not launch an investigation. Instead, he published redacted government documents and described the attacks as "a serious intelligence failure". An election was due at the end of the month.
Gaza's Devastation
The war Israel launched in response has left Gaza largely in rubble. The UN said up to 75,000 Palestinians had been killed in the retaliatory campaign. This summer, the UN said about 1.7 million Palestinians, roughly 80% of the population, were living in tents and temporary accommodation. Israeli maps showed more than half of the Gaza Strip under the control of Israeli troops.
The EU Weighs In
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen paid tribute to the victims and their families in a post on X. "The unspeakable savagery and terror of 7 October must never happen again," she wrote. "The EU remains ready to help turn today's fragile ceasefire into a durable peace, based on a two-state solution." The ceasefire she referred to took effect last October, two years into the war.
Why This Matters:
The anniversary finds two populations grieving at once. Israeli families are still demanding an independent inquiry that the government has declined to open, while in Gaza roughly 1.7 million people are living in tents and the ceasefire is being tested by continuing strikes. Von der Leyen's pledge to help turn a "fragile ceasefire" into a durable peace based on a two-state solution puts the EU's stated role on the record. Whether that translates into leverage over the next phase, and humanitarian relief for civilians, is the open question Europe's governments will be judged on.
The siren sounded at 6:29 a.m. in Tel Aviv.