Israel marked the third anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack on Wednesday with silent tributes, new strikes on Gaza and intense political debate, weeks before elections in which the country's deadliest day will be front and centre.
At the site of the Nova music festival, where Hamas militants in trucks and paragliders opened fire around dawn on October 7, 2023, family members bowed their heads in silence -- although at least one instead put on techno music in tribute to the fallen.
Both at Nova and the Kfar Aza kibbutz, another site of mass killings three years earlier, AFP reporters heard loud bangs from across the border in Gaza during the commemorations as Israel carried out new strikes, despite a ceasefire officially in place for the past year.
Gaza officials said at least two people were killed in overnight strikes in the territory, most of which has been reduced to rubble in relentless bombing in retaliation for the worst attack ever against Israel.
On October 27, Israel will hold elections for the first time since the attack with polls showing a tight race for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who in three years has ordered the massive offensive in Gaza as well as in Lebanon and Iran, whose cleric-run government backs Hamas.
Naftali Bennett, a former prime minister who has denounced Netanyahu for not preventing the attack, joined mourners at Nova to remember the attack by the "monsters" three years ago.
"This was a colossal failure of the state of Israel, which was established to defend Jews in our land," Bennett told reporters.
"But during those minutes, young men and women from all across Israel came over to fight and protect and save lives of their brothers and sisters and a generation of heroes emerged. And we owe it to this amazing generation to rebuild our country -- to be stronger, better," he said.
Netanyahu marked October 7 with official ceremonies in Jerusalem on Monday, which was closer to the anniversary on the Jewish calendar.
He vowed there would be "no forgiveness for the murderers" and vowed never to allow rule in Gaza by Hamas, which has faced major losses but remains in control of part of the territory
October 7 delivered a deep shock to the psyche of Israel, which has prided itself on protecting its borders despite long odds.
Israelis had a more triumphant narrative last week when passengers helped stop the crash-landing of a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv whose co-pilot was said to want to carry out a suicide attack, although questions were soon raised on why he was allowed to fly.
At the Nova site, mourners gathered in front of portraits both of festival-goers and security forces who died on October 7.
At a portrait of Yevgeni Postel, a 25-year-old student, his mother laid a bouquet of flowers and broke down sobbing.
"These are our heroes; the greatest children of Israel," said one police officer as he looked at portraits of his fallen colleagues.
At the Kfar Aza kibbutz, which was also devastated by the attack, mourners sat in silence in assembled chairs as they watched the raising of an Israeli flag.
On October 7, Palestinian fighters breached the border, storming southern Israel with gunfire, rockets and grenades.
A total of 1,221 people died, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Militants also dragged 251 hostages into Gaza, 44 of them already dead.
The last live hostages were freed a year ago as part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal in which Hamas stopped firing into Israel. Israeli attacks have subsided but not stopped, with Netanyahu vowing to kill anyone involved in the attack.
Israel's defence minister said Tuesday he had put the military on high alert "in light of intelligence regarding Hamas's intentions to attempt to carry out attacks" against troops in Gaza on the anniversary.
Israel's military offensive has displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza and killed more than 74,200 people, according to Gaza's health ministry, which is under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable
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