Israel marks third anniversary of 7 October attack with memorial events and protests
Israel has marked the third anniversary of the Hamas-led 7 October attack with memorial events across the country, as families gathered to honour the dead and protesters renewed calls for an independent inquiry into security failures. The commemorations came on Wednesday at sites linked to the assault, including the Nova music festival memorial near Kibbutz Re'im and Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv. The day was described by relatives and survivors as one of remembrance, grief and continuing political tension.
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At the Nova memorial, bereaved families and survivors gathered to remember the 378 people killed at the festival and the 44 taken hostage there. Of those abducted from the site, 25 were brought back from Gaza alive, according to the report. Ahuva Yavin Mayze, whose 21-year-old daughter Adi was killed at Nova, described what happened there as "dystopic" and "unimaginable".
Former Israeli footballer Shlomo Sharf also paid tribute to his granddaughter, May Naim, who was killed at the festival. The anniversary also brought renewed attention to the wider consequences of the 7 October attack, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the nation was united in longing for those lost, but protesters used the occasion to demand an independent state inquiry into the security failures that allowed the assault to happen.
The memorial events took place against the backdrop of an ongoing war in Gaza that began after the attack. The significance of the anniversary extends beyond remembrance because the attack reshaped Israeli politics, security thinking and the regional conflict. It also remains central to the fate of the hostages and to public debate over responsibility for the failures of 7 October.
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The memorials showed that, three years on, the attack continues to influence both national mourning and demands for accountability. The Nova festival site near Kibbutz Re'im has become one of the most prominent symbols of the attack. Witnesses have previously described killings, sexual abuse and torture during the raid, and the site has remained a focal point for families and survivors.
The report also noted that residents of kibbutzim destroyed in the attacks are still grappling with how to rebuild, underlining the long-term impact on communities close to the Gaza border. The wider war in Gaza has added to the anniversary's weight. The report said Israel's military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 74,200 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen as reliable by the UN.
It also said violence has continued in Gaza despite a ceasefire agreed almost a year ago, while living conditions for the territory's 2.1 million residents remain dire. These figures and conditions continue to shape the political and humanitarian context around the memorial events. What remains unclear is how far the calls for an independent inquiry will progress and whether they will lead to a formal review of the security failures cited by protesters.
The fate of the remaining hostages and the future of the ceasefire also remain unresolved in the broader conflict. For now, the anniversary has highlighted both the scale of the loss and the continuing dispute over accountability.
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