Israel marks the anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Israel is marking today the anniversary of the attack by the militant movement Hamas on October 7, 2023.

At that time, militants from Gaza infiltrated southern Israel, kidnapped 251 people, and killed about 1,200.

Flags in front of the president’s residence and the Parliament building have been lowered to half-mast.

At a memorial ceremony marking the third anniversary of the attack at the Zikim military base, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated that Israel has a duty to conduct an investigation into the attack and that “the entire nation bows its head in mourning,” reports the Times of Israel.

“It is our duty to investigate and ensure the implementation of lessons learned, so that we are more worthy of the trust the people have placed in us… Our commanders and fighters, both in the regular army and in the reserves, fought on all fronts and achieved significant results. However, even these achievements do not erase the failure of October 7 nor diminish our responsibility for it,” said Zamir.

The issue of conducting a comprehensive investigation into the attack has become a politically contentious point over the past three years, given that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to approve the establishment of a state investigative commission.

Netanyahu has been sharply criticized for not preventing the attack, which some Western media describe as Israel’s greatest failure to maintain security.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, as well as the American New York Times and Wall Street Journal, reported in early September that the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, warned Netanyahu that Hamas was planning an attack.

The Israeli prime minister denied that he had been warned.

On the Jewish religious holiday Simchat Torah, October 7, 2023, members of Hamas and several other armed groups breached the barrier between Gaza and Israel and carried out a series of attacks on military bases and settlements. During this time, a music festival near Kibbutz Reim was also attacked.

In that attack, 378 people were killed and 44 were kidnapped.

Of the Israeli hostages in Gaza, 83 were killed, while 168 survived and were returned to Israel after negotiations.

In response to the attacks, Israel launched an invasion of the Gaza Strip, accompanied by several offensives. After the Israeli offensive at the end of August 2025, Hamas accepted the US plan to end the conflict and return the hostages.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health in Gaza and the Israeli authorities, about 73,000 Palestinians and about 2,000 Israelis have been killed in the war between Hamas and the Israeli army.