Photo from Al Jazeera

by Una Vidal

Israel commemorated the third anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Wednesday through ceremonies, memorials, and protests held at more than 400 locations across the country.

At 6:29 a.m. on October 7, 2023, Hamas led a coordinated attack on Israel by land, sea and air from the Gaza Strip, killing about 1,200 people and abducting  521 hostages.

The commemoration began with a national minute of silence at the time the attack started, with another to be observed in the evening.

Two state ceremonies were held at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, where President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials attended, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Aside from the official ceremonies, most of the commemoration events were conducted at the grassroots, organized by survivors and victims, including the October Council and the Kumu movement.

Memorial events took place at the Nova festival site in the Re’im Forest, where over 370 people were murdered and 44 were abducted during the attacks.

Several anti-government protests have occurred across the state, one being in Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square, where its fountain was dyed red, with pictures, flowers, and messages laid around the basin wall.

Protesters also blocked one of the main highways in Tel Aviv, holding banners that read “the people will remember their sons and daughters” along with others that say “a complete failure” and “guilty” next to an image of  Netanyahu.

An art installation was seen in Tel Aviv, with 1,200 human figures, referring to those killed on the day, near large Hebrew letters that spell “Total Failure.”

The anniversary falls weeks before Israel’s legislative election on October 27, with Netanyahu rivals turning it into a focal point in their campaigns, criticizing his lack of accountability on the issue.

“This is a very deep failure,” said Gadi Eisenkot, currently polling as Netanyahu’s primary opponent in the elections.