At least two people died in overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza as Israelis marked three years since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, holding memorial gatherings and observing a one-minute siren in Tel Aviv. The UN says Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed up to 75,000 Palestinians. This summer, UN figures put the number of Palestinians living in tents and temporary accommodation at about 1.7 million, roughly 80% of Gaza’s population.
Memorials and the hostages’ return
People gathered along Tel Aviv’s beach with photographs of those killed. A nearby art installation remembered victims and hostages, displaying “Failure” in large letters. Some Israelis renewed their calls for an independent inquiry into the attacks.
A group representing bereaved families organised tributes, including a moment of silence at 6:29 a.m.—the minute the attack began—and a ceremony set for that night in Tel Aviv. In southern Israel, families gathered at road junctions, bomb shelters and the Nova music festival site, where militants overran the area in what the article called the deadliest attack against Israel.
At Nova, family members bowed their heads. Silence followed. AFP reported that at least one person played techno music in tribute to those killed. Israeli figures say the attacks killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage. A UN inquiry confirmed 1,200 deaths and 252 people taken hostage.
This marked the first anniversary since all surviving hostages had returned home. 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. His daughter was born in August this year. Bohbot said her birth carried a message to his captors: “we [Israelis] were here, and we will always be here forever”.
Ceasefire and continuing strikes
Loud bangs echoed across the border from Gaza during the commemorations as Israel launched new strikes despite the ceasefire agreement. Gaza officials said at least two people died overnight. The ceasefire took effect last October, two years into the war Israel launched against Hamas in response to the attack.
The campaign left the territory largely in rubble. Israeli maps showed Israeli troops controlling more than half of the Gaza Strip. This summer, the UN said about 1.7 million Palestinians were living in tents and temporary accommodation.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen paid tribute to 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.”
Calls for an inquiry
Wednesday’s gatherings took place separately from the government’s official memorial services, which it held on 5 October to bring them 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 let Hamas rule in Gaza.
More than 200 former hostages and relatives wrote to Netanyahu last year, demanding an inquiry into the attacks or his resignation. Rather than launch an investigation, Israel’s leader published redacted government documents and described the attacks as “a serious intelligence failure”. An election was due at the end of the month.