Israelis are marking three years since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage.
Memorial ceremonies are taking place across Israel to remember those killed and affected by the attacks.
The commemorations began with a nationwide minute’s silence at 06:29 local time, corresponding to the time the attacks began three years ago.
In Tel Aviv, motorists stopped their vehicles to observe the moment of remembrance as people across the country paid tribute to the victims.
At the site of the Nova music festival, one of the locations heavily affected by the attacks, families gathered to remember those who died.
A total of 378 people were killed at the festival site and 44 others were taken hostage, according to the figures cited in the commemoration reports.
Ahuva Yavin Mayze, whose daughter was killed at the festival, described the events as “dystopic” and “unimaginable”.
“What happened here was not human,” she said while reflecting on the loss.
Three years of war and devastation
The 7 October attacks triggered Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, leading to a prolonged conflict and widespread destruction across the Palestinian territory.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 74,200 people have been killed since the war began.
The conflict has also displaced large numbers of Palestinians and left extensive damage to homes and infrastructure.
A Palestinian man speaking about the situation said the scale of destruction had made Gaza “almost impossible to live in”.
The anniversary is therefore being observed amid continuing grief on both sides, with Israeli families remembering those killed and taken hostage in the 2023 attacks, while Palestinians continue to face the consequences of the prolonged war.
International media access to Gaza remains restricted. Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, to enter the territory freely to report independently from inside.
BBC
