Israel on Thursday marked 1,000 days since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks – which led to regional wars and have had far-reaching consequences across the Middle East – while the country remains divided over its political future.
The Israeli military's response to the offensive on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage, came in the form of a devastating war in Gaza, killing more than 73,000 Palestinians and displacing hundreds of thousands.
It has also led to wars involving Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Iran, which have also affected Gulf countries.
The date comes amid continuing division over the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which, against many expectations, has remained in power despite being in office when the attacks took place.
From early 2024 onward, tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in Tel Aviv and other cities, blocking motorways, gathering outside the Prime Minister’s residence, and holding mass rallies in what was renamed “Hostages Square”.
The central demand was a ceasefire agreement to exchange the hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, with many families accusing Mr Netanyahu of prioritising political survival and coalition pressures over securing the release of captives.
This anger at Mr Netanyahu has spilt over into the war with Iran, with many Israelis considering the current US-Iran agreement to be a significant blow to Israel. The plan is seen as taking pressure off Iran and possibly allowing it to rebuild its nuclear capacity.
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennet, one of Mr Netanyahu’s main opponents in an election due by October, wrote on social media: “A thousand days ago, on October 7th, we all experienced on our own flesh what happens when the state collapses.”
Gadi Eisenkot, fast becoming a leading prospect in the election race, said a “mark of infamy will be borne forever on the foreheads of the cabinet members”, before listing government ministers in power at the time.
Mr Eisenkot's son died in combat in northern Gaza at the end of December 2023. At the time, Mr Eisenkot was serving as a member of the war cabinet formed after the October 7 attacks.
Abroad, Israel’s popularity has plummeted, most crucially in the US, Israel’s most important diplomatic and military backer. A Pew Research Centre poll in April found that 60 per cent of Americans had a very or somewhat unfavourable view of Israel in 2026, up from 42 per cent in 2022.
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have been killed and thousands wounded. Critics of the government say the nation will only begin to recover once authorities appoint a commission of inquiry with broad powers to fully investigate how such a catastrophic attack could have taken place despite the country’s huge investment in security and the military.
Yoram Yehudai, father of Ron Yehudai who was killed at the Nova music festival in southern Israel, said at the site of the attack that Thursday marked “a thousand days of not knowing what happened and how it happened”.
Ceremonies and demonstrations were held across Israel. Protesters sat on the roads in front of the Knesset, holding signs, one reading "We won't forget and we won't forgive" and accusing the government of "burying the truth". They were quickly removed by police, resulting in clashes.
Meanwhile, Gaza continues to suffer from a humanitarian collapse amid increasing talk in Israel that the military must prepare for a new round of fighting in the coastal territory.
In August last year, Aharon Haliva, the former head of Israeli army intelligence, said killing 50 Palestinians for every dead Israeli was “necessary” to send a message to future generations.
“For everything that happened on October 7, for every person who was killed on October 7, 50 Palestinians must die,” he said in recordings aired by Channel 12 and later published by other outlets. “I’m not speaking out of revenge; I’m speaking out of a message to future generations,” he added. “They need a Nakba every now and then to feel the price ... It doesn’t matter now if they are children."
