Archive · 7 Oct 2026
Israelis Mark October 7 as Gaza Reels From War
On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing people and taking hostages.
Israelis gathered to remember those who died and the people who were taken.
All the hostages have now returned home, and former hostage Elkana Bohbot is rebuilding his life.
The war that followed has badly damaged Gaza and forced many people from their homes.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed.
A ceasefire stopped the heaviest fighting, but Israeli strikes have continued.
The conflict has also affected other parts of the Middle East, including Lebanon and the West Bank.
People in Israel remain divided over how the government handled the attack and war.
Israelis gathered to mourn the October 7, 2023, attack, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.
This anniversary is the first since all hostages returned home; former hostage Elkana Bohbot described captivity and his recovery.
More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, and around 90% of the population has been displaced.
A ceasefire that began October 10 halted the heaviest fighting, but Israeli strikes have continued; Gaza’s Health Ministry reports 1,145 Palestinians killed since it began.
The anniversary comes amid regional conflict, continuing displacement in Lebanon, violence in the West Bank, and political divisions in Israel.
- Who
- Israeli mourners, Palestinians in Gaza, and former hostage Elkana Bohbot.
- What
- Commemorations marked the October 7 attack and reflected on its human toll and the war that followed.
- When
- Wednesday, on the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack; the article also says the government held official memorial services on October 5.
- Where
- Southern Israel and Gaza, with the article also describing consequences in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
- Why
- Israelis commemorated those killed and abducted in the attack; the anniversary also highlights the devastation and continuing effects of the ensuing war.
Palestinian account
Israeli account
How the October 7 attack is framed
Palestinian account
Hamas portrayed the attack as a response to decades of Israeli military occupation, land seizures, and settlement construction.
Israeli account
Israeli commemorations remember an attack that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Continuing strikes after the ceasefire
Palestinian account
Gaza’s Health Ministry says 1,145 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began.
Israeli account
Israel says its continuing strikes target Hamas militants.
Accountability for the attack
Palestinian account
The article does not provide a specific Palestinian position on an Israeli inquiry into the attack.
Israeli account
There are deep divisions in Israel over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war and his reluctance to launch an official inquiry into failures on October 7.
- Attack date
- October 7, 2023
- People killed in attack
- 1,200, according to the article
- People taken hostage
- 251
- Hostage captivity
- Elkana Bohbot was held for 738 days and released last year.
- Palestinians killed in Gaza
- More than 74,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry; its figures do not distinguish civilians from militants.
- Displacement in Gaza
- Around 90% of the population has been displaced, often multiple times.
- Ceasefire
- Took effect on October 10; the year is not specified in the article.
- Deaths since ceasefire
- Gaza’s Health Ministry reports 1,145 Palestinians killed; the article also reports seven Israeli soldiers killed.