Jerusalem, 5 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — President Isaac Herzog called Monday for Israel to confront the failures surrounding the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, saying Israelis are still waiting for answers three years after the massacre as the country marked the anniversary with memorial ceremonies and events nationwide.
“Over the past three years, we have seen families coping with loss, with injuries, with hopes that went unfulfilled, with uncertainty that persists, and with a demand for answers and a response,” Herzog said in an anniversary address.
He called on Israelis to remember the victims while warning that the country’s political divisions have become increasingly dangerous during an election campaign.
“We must remember, and recall, forever, the many we have lost. We must tell their stories,” Herzog said.
Herzog also urged Israelis to preserve national cohesion despite political disagreements.
“Of course we are allowed to disagree, and it is even our duty to debate the important matters and the big questions,” he said. “But we must remember: whoever disagrees with you today will live here alongside you tomorrow as well.”
His remarks followed a call earlier Monday by military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir for an investigation into the military’s failures surrounding the attack.
“It is our duty to investigate and ensure that the lessons are implemented so that we may be more worthy of the trust the people have placed in us,” Zamir said at a General Staff memorial ceremony at the Zikim military base.
Zamir said the Israel Defense Forces would use the lessons of Oct. 7 to strengthen its ability to identify and respond to threats, declaring, “We will identify threats as they emerge and strike them with determination and force.”
He also highlighted the public mobilization that followed the attack, saying that “in the most difficult moments, the solidarity and exemplary character of Israeli society were revealed.”
A state commission of inquiry has broad investigative powers, including the ability to summon witnesses and obtain evidence. Its members are appointed through the judiciary, and its recommendations are not legally binding on the government. The government argues that a commission of inquiry would be biased and proposed an alternative committee whose members would be politically appointed. The opposition boycotted Knesset proceedings related to that proposal.
Israel’s most recent state commission of inquiry examined the deaths of 45 people in a 2021 stampede at Mount Meron. In 2024, the commission held Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally responsible for the disaster.
The Israel Defense Forces have released a series of detailed internal probes examining how roughly 5,000 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists were able to storm Israeli communities and overrun military positions. The military probes address operational, intelligence and command issues, but not decisions made by the political leadership.
Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 252 Israelis and foreigners to Gaza.
Israel lowered its flags to half-mast at 6:29 a.m. Monday, marking the start of the attack. State institutions, police stations, prisons and IDF bases are observing the day with lowered flags, while radio and television programming has been adjusted for the anniversary.
Memorial ceremonies and special programs are being held in communities and schools across the country, with additional commemorative events planned for Wednesday.