Israel Holds National Memorial Ceremonies Marking Three Years Since October 7 Attack

Israel marked its national day of remembrance for the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Monday, October 5, 2026, with flags lowered to half-staff at the Knesset and the President's Residence and two state ceremonies at the Mount Herzl military cemetery, one for the war's fallen soldiers and one for the attack's civilian victims, The Times of Israel reported. The date, 24 Tishrei, is set on the Hebrew calendar by the government and falls two days before the Gregorian anniversary. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage in the attack, the paper said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at both ceremonies. He pledged that "everyone who was involved in the attack against us, everyone who held our hostages, is living on borrowed time," and said Israel had brought home every one of the 251 hostages, a claim many hostage families dispute, according to The Times of Israel. At the civilian ceremony, as he accused several European governments of airing blood libels against Israel, a bereaved father shouted, "You didn't protect my son on October 7. You didn't protect 1,200 murdered on one day, on October 7 — shame!", causing Netanyahu to pause.

President Isaac Herzog called for investigating the failures "with determination and courage, and without bias," adding, "No passage of time absolves us of this duty," without explicitly calling for a state commission of inquiry, which Netanyahu has rejected in favor of a politically led probe. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said at a ceremony at Zikim Base that the IDF "failed in its mission to protect the citizens of Israel" and that the military's achievements since "do not erase the failure of October 7." Opposition leader Yair Lapid skipped the state ceremonies, according to Hebrew reports cited by the paper. The day fell ahead of Israel's October 27 election, and Herzog also warned against deepening polarization.

Sources

The Times of Israel, At Oct. 7 ceremonies, PM vows to settle scores. Others urge accountability for massacre, October 5, 2026, timesofisrael.com