By Pesach Benson • October 7, 2026

Jerusalem, 7 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel is marking three years since Hamas-led terrorists attacked communities along the Gaza border, with memorial ceremonies across the country Wednesday and bereaved families renewing demands for an independent investigation into the failures that preceded the attack.

The national day of remembrance began at 6:29 a.m., when the first rocket barrage was launched. President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, lit a memorial candle at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.

 

“The lighting of the candle expresses the shared national grief and pain of the State of Israel and its citizens,” Herzog’s office said.

At the Knesset, relatives of victims and hostages recited “Yizkor,” a Jewish memorial prayer for the deceased. In southern Israel, survivors and bereaved families gathered at the former site of the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, where 378 people were killed and 44 were abducted to Gaza.

October 7, 2023, was the deadliest day in Israel’s history. Hamas-led terrorists breached the Gaza border, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 252 Israelis and foreign nationals. The attack triggered the war in Gazaand subsequent conflict in Iran, Lebanon and Yemen.

Hundreds of ceremonies and gatherings are being held nationwide to commemorate the victims. The October Council, which represents survivors and bereaved families, has called for a minute of silence at noon.

Demands for an Inquiry

For many families, remembrance and accountability have become inseparable.

“Not only to remember those we lost, but to understand how the State of Israel allowed this to happen,” the October Council said in a statement marking the anniversary.

The council said families have spent the past three years collecting testimonies, documents and official records and meeting with senior political and security officials. It called for an independent national commission to examine the decisions made before the attack and determine how the failures occurred.

“We demand a state, independent and self-sustaining commission of inquiry that will investigate the political echelon, the security echelon, and the entire decision-making chain that led to the disaster,” the families said. “Not for revenge. Not for politics. For the truth, for the families, and so that next October 7th never happens.”

“Three years after the massacre, the State of Israel still has a debt to the families,” the October Council added. “This debt is the truth.”

In the evening, the Kumu (“Rise Up”) movement and families of October 7 victims will hold the largest independent memorial ceremony at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park. The event, scheduled for 9:15 p.m., will feature testimony and performances and will be screened at locations around the country.

Official state commemorations were held Monday according to the Hebrew calendar date established by the government, separate from the national events being held on the Gregorian anniversary Wednesday.

The anniversary is also being marked by Jewish communities overseas. Israel’s National Security Council warned that terror organizations, including Iran and its proxies, Hamas and global jihadist groups, view the anniversary as a significant milestone. It said demonstrations and public disturbances are also expected to increase worldwide.

The council advised Israelis not to post travel plans on social media in advance and to avoid destinations under Israel’s highest, Level 4 travel warning: Jordan, Qatar, Somaliland and Egypt, including the Sinai Peninsula.

In destinations under Level 3 warnings, including South Africa, Thailand and Morocco, Israelis were advised to minimize speaking Hebrew in crowded areas, stay away from demonstrations and avoid large gatherings.