Israel marked three years since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack with ceremonies, memorials and protests at more than 400 locations across the country on October 7, 2026.

At 6:29 in the morning, the time the attack began, the country held a national moment of silence. Memorial events took place at the Nova festival site in the Re'im Forest, where more than 370 people were murdered, and at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv.

Hamas-led gunmen killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostages on October 7, 2023, the deadliest single day in Israel's history. Israel's subsequent military operations have killed more than 74,000 people in Gaza, according to health authorities there.

This is the first anniversary with no hostages still held in Gaza. Those dead and alive were exchanged in swaps, and the remains of the last Israeli hostage were recovered in January.

The anniversary comes 20 days before Israel's first election since the attack, seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A poll by the Israel Democracy Institute found 68 per cent of Jewish Israelis say October 7 is central to their vote.