Israel marks October 7 memorial as victims' relatives enter parliamentary race

State commemorations and national mourning

Israel marked its national day of remembrance on Monday, 5 October 2026, commemorating the victims of the 7 October 2023 attacks according to the Hebrew calendar. Flags were lowered to half-mast at 6:29 am across public buildings and at the Knesset plaza, marking the exact minute the cross-border assault began three years earlier. President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led the official state ceremony at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, laying wreaths at memorials for fallen soldiers and civilian casualties. Herzog addressed the assembly, speaking on the collective grief of the country and paying tribute to those enduring physical and psychological trauma.

The lowering of the flag expresses the shared national mourning of the State of Israel and its citizens, and is dedicated to the memory of the women and men, children, infants, the elderly, civilians and soldiers who were killed and fell in the terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, and in the 'Swords of Iron' war.

Political fallout and upcoming elections

During the memorial events, Netanyahu faced direct public pressure over security failures tied to the 2023 attack. A heckler interrupted the prime minister's second address on Monday, shouting that Netanyahu failed to protect victims, which forced a brief pause in the speech. The political consequences of the attack extend into national politics, where at least nine Israelis from affected families are running for parliament in elections scheduled for this month. Candidate Michal Hirsch Negri, whose son Roee died defending Kibbutz Be'eri, joined the Together party led by former prime minister Naftali Bennett. Retired general Noam Tibon, who rescued his son from Kibbutz Nahal Oz during the assault, and Sharon Sharabi, whose two brothers were seized as hostages, are also seeking Knesset seats across different political lists.

Hostage survivors and community recovery

The 2023 assault resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people in Israel, according to an AFP tally of official figures, while 251 hostages were abducted to the Gaza Strip, including 44 who were already dead when taken. Former captives have spoken about their efforts to rebuild their lives following extended detentions in Gaza. Emily Damari, who was abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza and released in January 2025, described focusing on daily gratitude and establishing a clothing business. Eli Sharabi, released in February 2025 after 491 days in captivity, lost his wife Lianne and daughters Noiya and Yahel during the attack, while his brother Yossi died in Gaza. Sharabi has since helped establish the Shalva Sharabi Family Centre in Ashkelon to support families coping with trauma.

I learned in captivity how precious every moment and every choice can be, and I carry that understanding with me now. I choose to look ahead, to keep going and to use the life I have in a meaningful way.

Ongoing military operations and regional tensions

At Mount Herzl, Netanyahu vowed to continue operations against those involved in the initial assault or hostage detentions, while ruling out any future political role for Hamas in the enclave. The Israeli military reported on Monday that it killed a Hamas Nukhba commander in Gaza who had participated in the October 2023 infiltration. Retaliatory operations in Gaza have killed more than 74,200 people, according to the territory's health ministry, including over 1,440 people since the October 2025 ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump. Security concerns also persist along the northern Gaza border, where recent kite launches into communities such as Netiv HaAsara prompted Israeli warnings to the US-established Board of Peace.

There will be no Hamas rule in Gaza.