![[Stéphane Mouchmouche / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP]](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/186205060/bebd7ea9eabbaed438a614f4b20f217343d76e092cb9a49e7c6a55fcc376cc8c)
Overview
- On Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Israelis held nationwide commemorations with a minute of silence at 06:29 at sites including the Nova festival and Kfar Aza to mark the Hamas attacks that killed 1,221 people and abducted 251.
- Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the army to raise its level of vigilance and told commanders to prepare for ‘any possible scenario’ after intelligence suggested Hamas might seek to carry out attacks or target Israeli forces.
- Israeli forces launched raids on Gaza around the anniversary that Gaza health services and Al‑Shifa hospital said killed two people, with Israeli officials saying strikes targeted militants.
- The anniversary sharpened election‑season pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as rivals and families of victims renewed calls for an independent inquiry into reported pre‑attack warnings and broader security failures.
- Gaza remains devastated from the post‑attack offensive, with Gaza health ministry figures of more than 74,200 Palestinian deaths cited as reliable by the UN and hundreds of thousands still living in temporary shelters under a fragile ceasefire.