The Palestinian Civil Defence said at least 50 multistorey buildings have been destroyed in recent weeks as Israeli forces press their assault on the city, all amid a wave of forced displacements.
Israel will mark the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Wednesday with memorial events across the country, as heightened security surrounds the commemorations and voters prepare for an election in which the deadliest day in Israel’s history is expected to remain a central issue.
People visit the site of the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, on October 5, 2026. © Ohad Zwigenberg, AP
Israel marks the third anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Wednesday, just weeks before an election in which the deadliest day in the country’s history will be front and centre.
Commemorative events will also be the first to be held since a ceasefire officially began in war-torn Gaza last year.
Memorial events are planned throughout the day to pay tribute to the scores of people killed by militants led by the Islamist movement during their assault from Gaza.
Palestinian fighters breached the border, storming southern Israel with gunfire, rockets and grenades, and resulting in the deaths of 1,139 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Militants also dragged 251 hostages into Gaza, 44 of
At 06:29 am (0329 GMT), the exact time the Hamas attack began three years ago, a tribute is due to be held at Kibbutz Kfar Aza near the Gaza border, where militants killed 64 residents and abducted 18 people during their attack.
Another event is scheduled at the site of the Nova music festival in southern Israel, where militants killed more than 370 people and seized dozens of hostages.
Bereaved families are also organising a gathering in a Tel Aviv park on Wednesday evening.
High alert
The events will be held under heightened security measures, three weeks from Israel’s general elections and one week after a foiled attack on a Tel Aviv-bound passenger plane.
Israel‘s defence minister said Tuesday he had put the military on high alert “in light of intelligence regarding Hamas’s intentions to attempt to carry out attacks” against troops in Gaza on the anniversary.
State memorial ceremonies were held on Monday, during which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be no Hamas rule in Gaza and vowed to continue targeting anyone who was involved in the October 7 attack or who held hostages.
In response to Hamas‘s unprecedented assault, Israel launched a massive military offensive that has left most of Gaza in ruins and killed more than 74,200 people, mostly women and children according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
In the three years since, Israel has also expanded its military reach across the Middle East – fighting on several fronts spanning from a conflict with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to Iran.
In Gaza, the humanitarian situation remains dire despite a fragile US-brokered ceasefire declared last October, with hundreds of thousands still forced to live in tents and temporary structures.
‘We were naive’ about Hamas, Israeli ex-hostage Shoshan Haran says
The political future and reconstruction of the war-shattered territory also remains largely stalled in practice.
Israel says it controls more than 60 percent of the Gaza Strip and has continued its airstrikes, vowing to eliminate threats from Hamas and target those involved in the October 7 attack.
Since the ceasefire, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,430 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.
Netanyahu ignored warnings
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces mounting public blame and political backlash over allegations that his government ignored advance warnings from regional allies prior to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.
The UAE Warning: According to a report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz and details from the book “Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment”, United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ) made a 45-minute phone call to Netanyahu in late September 2023 warning of a major planned operation by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Other Intelligence Alerts: Reports indicate that Egyptian intelligence officials also issued warnings regarding unusual mobilization just days before the assault
Failure to Share: The reports state that Netanyahu did not pass these warnings along to his security chiefs or raise them in subsequent security meetings.
Political Fallout: Israeli opposition leaders—including Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Yair Lapid—have condemned the prime minister, labeling the security failures unpardonable and demanding an independent state commission of inquiry, which Netanyahu has resisted.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
