Three years after October 7, Israeli society grapples with hostage trauma and political divides

Three years of national trauma

Three years after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, Israeli society remains defined by the loss of 1,200 lives and the trauma of 251 abductions. The military recovered the body of the final missing hostage from a cemetery near Rafah in January 2026, closing the physical search for captives in the Gaza Strip. Despite the end of hostage rescue operations, deep psychological fractures persist across the population. Citizens such as Irene Nurith Cohn, who recovered body parts after the massacres, report lasting fear in everyday encounters. Displaced communities along the northern border also remain unsettled, with local football club Hapoel Kiryat Shmona forced into exile after seven Hezbollah rockets struck its home stadium.

The experiences of returning captives

Survivors of captivity continue to cope with memories of their abduction and prolonged imprisonment. Louis Har, a 73-year-old resident of Kibbu​tz Urim, was seized from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak along with his partner Clara Marman and three relatives before being transferred to an apartment in Rafah. Har recalled watching Gazan civilians arrive on bicycles to loot appliances and toys from ransacked homes before the military could intervene. Several returning captives learned of familial losses only after their release, including Yarden Bibas, whose wife and children were murdered in Gaza. Rachel and Jon Goldberg-Polin also confronted the loss of their 23-year-old son Hersh, who was killed by militants in the summer of 2024. Louis Har described the permanent disruption caused by the assault.

I am alive, but my entire life has changed since October 7.

Captivity and survival in the tunnels

Prolonged underground captivity subjected hostages to severe isolation and physical punishment. Avinatan Or, a 33-year-old electrical engineer for Nvidia, spent 738 days as a captive in Gaza, enduring almost all of that period in solitary confinement within tunnels. On his 409th day, Or executed an escape attempt by stealing a pickax, removing sandbags, and digging upward through more than 30 feet of earth, concrete, and rock. Hamas militants captured him at the surface, beat him for a week, and kept him chained in his cell for nearly 11 months, during which he lost over 80 pounds. Or documented his captivity and thoughts on the ongoing conflict in his memoir, "Through the Ground". He explained his motivation for attempting the escape.

I will not let other people decide my destiny. Soldiers outside are fighting for me; I have to fight, too.

Political fractures and upcoming elections

The societal trauma has shaped the domestic political environment ahead of national elections scheduled for late October 2026. Political debates focus on military manpower shortages and contentious exemptions from service granted to the growing ultra-Orthodox population. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged two days after the 2023 attacks that Israel would reshape the regional map, yet deep strategic and international disagreements remain unresolved. Authors and commentators, including Pankaj Mishra, point to sharp international scrutiny over Israel's conduct in Gaza, while internal political groups clash over governance and settlements in the West Bank. Three years into the aftermath, the country faces persistent security operations and internal political divisions.