Israel remembers the third anniversary of the October 7 onslaught by Hamas | LIVE BLOG
Three years ago, the terrorist group Hamas together with other terror groups in Gaza invaded Israel's borders with roughly 6,000 men, killing 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals then held 251 hostage
On the morning of October 7, 2023, in what became the deadliest attack against Jewish people since the Holocaust, about 6,000 Hamas terrorists and members of other groups invaded Israel from Gaza. They brutally attacked the Nova music festival, numerous IDF bases and posts, and dozens of Israeli civilian communities, which included multiple Kibbutzim like Be’eri, Kfar Aza, and Nir Oz, near the Gaza border, burning them down. The invading terrorists massacred at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, who were shot, mutilated, burned, tortured, raped, and decapitated or dismembered, among them babies and children, the elderly, the disabled, men and women. The terrorists further kidnapped 251 people, including internationals and non-Jewish people. Among those kidnapped were the Bibas Shiri Bibas and her two baby children, Ariel and Kfir, who were strangled to death after being taken hostage.
Following a detailed report by Israel's Health Ministry, it was discovered that under Hamas captivity, Israeli hostages detailed sexual violence and torture at the hands of the terrorist group. The treatment by captors included severe beatings, branding, sexual violence, food and water deprivation, hair-pulling, humiliation, and isolation. According to the report, half of those who returned were starved, according to the medical data. Two of the children who returned reported being tied together, and two others had signs of branding that witnesses who returned said were intentionally inflicted. Upon their retrieval, some also displayed signs of overfeeding, evidence that the terrorists attempted to improve the hostages' appearance and weight before being shown to the public. There will be numerous ceremonies and remembrances throughout Israel today; its leaders warn to be on heightened alert against possible terror attacks.
Israel Police salute fallen officers at October 7 battle sites
Israel Police marked three years since the October 7 attack with a synchronized salute and a minute of silence at the sites where officers fell in the defensive battles, the Police Spokesperson's Unit said.
At 6:29 a.m., the time the attack began, Police Commissioner Inspector General Danny Levy, senior command staff and dozens of officers saluted at the old Sderot police station and at all battle sites where Israel Police officers fell.
As part of the command staff's visit to the south, senior officers and battle-site commanders laid wreaths at each site alongside police officers, and a ceremony is under way at the old Sderot station.
A special honor convoy is set to depart for Re'im, and police said they embrace and support the bereaved families and officers wounded in combat.
On the morning of the third anniversary of the October 7th Massacre, President Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog Light Memorial Candles at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem
The Herzogs lit the candle to open the day's commemorative events marking three years since the October 7th Massacre