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Israel marks third anniversary of October 7 attack, 20 days before election
Three years after the Hamas attack, Israel holds commemorations with no hostages remaining in Gaza — 20 days before an election seen as a referendum on Netanyahu.
Why it matters
Three years after October 7, 2023, Israel is holding its first commemoration with no hostages remaining in Gaza — and doing so 20 days before an election widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Full report
Israelis are marking the third anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage to Gaza — the deadliest day in Israel's history.
Commemorations include a vigil at the site of the Nova music festival near the Gaza border, where 348 young people were killed, and an event at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv.
This is the first anniversary with no hostages still held in Gaza: hostages were exchanged in swaps with Hamas for Palestinians held in Israeli jails, and the remains of the last Israeli hostage were recovered in January. A ceasefire agreed a year ago is meant to halt the war for good, though conditions in Gaza remain dire.
The anniversary comes 20 days before Israel's first election since the attack, a vote viewed as a referendum on Netanyahu's long tenure. Netanyahu has rejected blame for the security breach and resisted calls for an independent investigation. A poll by the Israel Democracy Institute showed 68% of Jewish Israelis said the events of October 7 were a central element in their voting decision.
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