A Day of Tributes at the Attack Sites

Memorial events run through Wednesday across the country in tribute to the people killed in the militants' assault from Gaza.

• •At Kibbutz Kfar Aza near the Gaza border, where militants killed 64 residents and abducted 18 people, a tribute is due at 06:29 am (0329 GMT) - the exact time the Hamas attack began three years ago.
• •A second event takes place at the Nova music festival site in southern Israel, where militants killed more than 370 people and seized dozens of hostages.
• •In the evening, bereaved families are organising a gathering in a Tel Aviv park.

This year's commemorations are the first since the ceasefire officially began in Gaza.

High Alert and an Election Countdown

Heightened security surrounds the commemorations, which fall three weeks before Israel's general elections - a vote in which the deadliest day in the country's history is expected to remain a central issue. They come one week after a foiled attack on a passenger plane bound for Tel Aviv.

Israel's defence minister said on Tuesday the military was on high alert because of intelligence about Hamas's intentions to attempt to attack troops in Gaza on the anniversary.

Netanyahu's Vow at State Ceremonies

State memorial ceremonies took place on Monday, ahead of Wednesday's commemorations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be no Hamas rule in Gaza, and vowed to continue targeting anyone involved in the October 7 attack or holding hostages.

Three Years of War and a Fragile Ceasefire

The attack began on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian fighters breached the border and stormed into southern Israel with gunfire, rockets and grenades. It killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, and 251 hostages were dragged into Gaza, 44 of them already dead.

• •Israel responded with a massive military offensive that has left most of Gaza in ruins and killed more than 74,200 people, according to Gaza's health ministry, whose figures the United Nations considers reliable.
• •In the three years since, Israel has extended its military reach across the Middle East, fighting on several fronts that span a conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon through to Iran.
• •Despite the fragile US-brokered ceasefire declared last October, humanitarian conditions in Gaza remain dire, with hundreds of thousands of people still forced to live in tents and temporary structures.
• •The political future and reconstruction of Gaza remain largely stalled in practice, and Israel says it controls more than 60 percent of the Gaza Strip.
• •Israeli airstrikes have continued, vowing to eliminate threats from Hamas and target those involved in the October 7 attack; since the ceasefire, Gaza's health ministry has recorded more than 1,430 people killed by Israeli forces.

The commemorations conclude with Wednesday evening's gathering in the Tel Aviv park, three weeks before Israel's general elections.