Israel marks three years since Hamas attack, with Gaza conditions dire

Israelis are set to mark Wednesday's third anniversary of Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza, the deadliest day in Israel's history. The attack triggered an Israeli military assault that destroyed much of Gaza, where conditions remain dire despite a year-old ceasefire that is meant to end the war for good, the report said. Health authorities in Gaza say Israel's subsequent bombardment and ground operations have killed more than 74,000 people. On Wednesday, Israelis are due to hold a vigil at the Nova music festival site near the Gaza border, where 348 young people were killed, and an event at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv.

The anniversary comes 20 days before the Israeli election and is the first for Israelis without any hostages still held in Gaza, with those dead and alive exchanged. The remains of the last Israeli hostage were recovered in January, in swaps with Hamas for Palestinians held in Israeli jails. The anniversary comes 20 days before Israel's first election since the attack, a vote seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long tenure in power.

Netanyahu has rejected blame for the security breach and resisted calls for an independent investigation, frustrating many in Israel, including families of those killed in the attacks, some of whom have joined the election race. A poll by the Israel Democracy Institute showed 68% of Jewish Israelis said the events of October 7 were a very central or fairly central factor in deciding which party to vote for. Election polls show neither Netanyahu nor his main rivals would win enough seats in parliament to form a coalition if a vote were held today.

The anniversary is also the first since an October 10, 2025, US-brokered ceasefire deal that halted major fighting but has failed to stop Israeli attacks in Gaza or secure the disarmament of Hamas and other militant groups. Israel now controls about 53% of Gaza, expanding to nearly two-thirds after further advances by Israeli forces. Hamas holds the rest, where the 2 million people mostly live in makeshift tents and damaged buildings. The US President Donald Trump's so-called "Board of Peace" has floated several reconstruction plans for Gaza.

Those plans have not won support from Israel or Hamas and do not address the property rights of Palestinians whose homes were destroyed, according to the source text. The sides remain at an impasse in ceasefire talks over terms under which Hamas would give up its weapons in exchange for Israeli troop withdrawals. Israel says it will not withdraw until Hamas fully disarms, while Hamas says it has agreed to a phased process but will not disarm while Israeli attacks continue.

Israel has continued its bombing campaign in Gaza, killing a number of Hamas militants in recent months and many civilians, according to Gaza health authorities, whose figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. More than 1,400 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since the October 2025 ceasefire, the health authorities say. During Five Israeli soldiers have also been killed by militants or in combat, the military said. Reporting by Steven Scheer; additional reporting by Nidal al-Muhgrabi; editing by Alison Williams.

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