Israel Strikes Gaza on Third Anniversary of October 7 Attack, Two Killed in Overnight Airstrike

Israel carried out strikes in Gaza on October 7, 2026, the third anniversary of the 2023 Hamas-led attack, with Palestinian officials reporting two people killed in an overnight Israeli strike, Arab News and AFP reported. Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City reported the two deaths, with Gaza's civil defence identifying one of the dead as Mohamed Tamous, a volunteer rescue worker for the agency, according to Malay Mail. The IDF confirmed carrying out a strike in the area but did not provide further details, The Times of Israel reported. An Israeli drone strike killed one older man and wounded seven people in southern Gaza during the day, according to health officials cited by The Times of Israel. The IDF said it killed two Hamas operatives who were spotted leaving Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip overnight.

The continuation of strikes on the October 7 anniversary, despite a ceasefire technically in place since October 2025, underscores the fragility of the Gaza peace plan brokered by the United States. Multiple sources reported in September 2026 that more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed since the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, bringing the total death toll since October 2023 to over 73,000. The targeting of a civil defence volunteer highlights the risks faced by emergency personnel in Gaza, where rescue operations continue amid ongoing military activity. For Israel, the anniversary serves as both a memorial occasion and a demonstration of continued operational presence in Gaza, occurring just weeks before the October 27, 2026 Knesset election.

Sources

Arab News, October 7, 2026, arabnews.com | AFP via Malay Mail, October 7, 2026, malaymail.com | The Times of Israel, October 7, 2026, timesofisrael.com | TRT World, September 2026, trtworld.com | Al Jazeera, September 9, 2026, aljazeera.com | Wikipedia (2026 Israeli legislative election), updated September 2026, en.wikipedia.org | Britannica (2026 Israeli Elections), updated September 2026, britannica.com