Israeli President Isaac Herzog and first lady Michal Herzog opened Wednesday’s commemorations marking three years since the Oct. 7 massacre by lighting a memorial candle at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem at 6:29 a.m., the time the Hamas-led attack began.
At the Knesset, relatives of victims and hostages recited “Yizkor,” a Jewish memorial prayer for the deceased. In southern Israel, survivors and bereaved families gathered at the former site of the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, where 378 people were killed and 44 abducted to Gaza.
Official state commemorations for Oct. 7 were held Monday, according to the Hebrew calendar date established by the government, separate from the national events being held on the Gregorian anniversary Wednesday.
Some 6,000 terrorists from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Fatah, along with unaffiliated Gazan “civilians,” crossed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, murdering some 1,200 people, wounding thousands and kidnapping 251.
Israel launched its ground offensive in Gaza on Oct. 27 with the stated goals of destroying Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, returning the hostages and ensuring Gaza could no longer threaten Israel.
The conflict subsequently expanded across the region, with Israel fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, terrorist groups in Judea and Samaria, conducting operations in Syria, confronting Houthi attacks from Yemen, striking targets in Iran and responding to attacks from Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
היום, בוקר שבעה באוקטובר, בשעה 06:29 הדלקנו נר זיכרון בבית הנשיא.
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) October 7, 2026
שלוש שנים מאז הבוקר הנורא ההוא. שלוש שנים של כאב, של אובדן, ושל זיכרון שלא יימחה.
אנחנו מרכינים ראש לזכר הנרצחות והנרצחים, הנופלות והנופלים.
יהי זכרם ברוך. pic.twitter.com/WFcLABzV0r
Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levi and the force’s senior command saluted and observed a minute of silence at 6:29 a.m. on Wednesday at sites where officers fell on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israel Police said.
The ceremonies coincided with the start of the Hamas-led terror attack exactly three years ago, according to the Gregorian calendar.
The main ceremony took place at the site of the former police station in Sderot, where terrorists seized the building, killed 11 officers and fought Israeli security forces for hours until the station was demolished.
Memorial ceremonies were also held at other sites where police and Border Police officers were killed defending civilians.
A commemorative convoy was set to leave for Re’im later on Wednesday morning as part of the senior command’s visit to southern Israel. Hamas terrorists slaughtered 364 people at the Nova music festival there on Oct. 7.
“The Israel Police bows its head in memory of its fallen, and continues to carry their memory and legacy. We stand with and support the bereaved families and the police officers who were wounded in the battles defending the State of Israel and its citizens,” the statement concluded.
גבורת השוטרים בשבעה באוקטובר – המפכ"ל וסגל הפיקוד הבכיר של המשטרה, הצדיעו ועמדו דקת דומיה בזירות הלחימה בהן נפלו שוטרים ולוחמים בקרבות הבלימה
— משטרת ישראל (@IL_police) October 7, 2026
הבוקר, בשעה 06:29 בדיוק, השעה שבה החלה מתקפת הטרור הרצחנית לפני שלוש שנים, מפכ"ל המשטרה רנ"צ דני לוי, ספ"כ המשטרה ועשרות שוטרים הצדיעו… pic.twitter.com/kbzadOZFCB
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday night marked the third anniversary of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack by calling it the “beginning of the end for Zionism” and claiming the terrorist assault "shattered" the image of the Israeli military’s "invincibility."
The IRGC statement claimed that regional strategic conditions had shifted in favor of Tehran and its allies and warned that any new military action against the Islamic Republic would draw a “painful and devastating response.”
Israel’s National Security Council warned that terror organizations, including Iran and its proxies, Hamas and global jihadist groups, view the anniversary as a significant milestone. It said demonstrations and public disturbances are also expected to increase worldwide.
The council advised Israelis not to post travel plans on social media in advance and to avoid destinations under Israel’s highest, Level 4 travel warning: Jordan, Qatar, Somaliland and Egypt, including the Sinai Peninsula.
In destinations under Level 3 warnings, including South Africa, Thailand and Morocco, Israelis were advised to minimize speaking Hebrew in crowded areas, stay away from demonstrations and avoid large gatherings.