Israel marks October 7 as Netanyahu faces a 27 October election
Israel held memorials three years after the Hamas-led October 7 attack, while Israeli strikes continued in Gaza despite a year-old ceasefire. The anniversary comes ahead of a 27 October election, with former prime minister Naftali Bennett accusing the state of failing to prevent the attack and polls showing a tight race for Benjamin Netanyahu.
Bottom line — October 7 remains a central election issue for Israeli voters, with accountability and security at stake.
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AFP reported that 1,221 people were killed in the 2023 attack and 251 were taken hostage; the last living hostages were freed a year ago.
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Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 74,200 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive; the figures are considered reliable by the United Nations, according to AFP.
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AFP reporters heard explosions in Gaza during memorials at Nova and Kfar Aza. Gaza officials gave conflicting tolls for the latest strikes: at least two deaths in AFP’s report and five in the Yahoo News and Al-Monitor versions of the AFP report.
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NPR reported that strikes have continued almost daily despite the ceasefire, and that more than half of Gaza remains under Israeli military control.
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At the Nova festival site, families gathered at dawn; NPR reported that hundreds paid tribute to the more than 350 people killed there and nearby.
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Netanyahu said at an official ceremony that Israel would never allow Hamas to rule Gaza, according to DW; Hamas called the attack a response to decades of suffering, DW reported.
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The Guardian reported that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed support for Israel while backing a two-state solution; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was ready to help turn the ceasefire into durable peace.