Families gathered at the site of the Nova music festival in Reim and at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where 64 residents were killed and 19 taken hostage. At 6:29 a.m. local time—the exact moment the attacks began—families observed moments of silence, shared memories, and listened to solemn bugle calls. Ahuva Yavin Mayze, whose 21-year-old daughter Adi was killed at the festival, told the BBC what happened at the site was “dystopic, unimaginable.”

Zion Regev, a community leader in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, said it was the first time in three years that residents had returned to the site for a memorial. “It’s a very emotional day, it’s a very difficult day for our community, three years after 7 October,” he told Reuters.

Meanwhile, new reports from Israeli and U.S. media revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had allegedly been warned by regional allies, including the United Arab Emirates, of a potential Hamas attack in the weeks leading up to October 7. A Palestinian mediator, Sufian Abu Zaida, said Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had sent a message through him in late September 2023 warning of an “earthquake” in negotiations. The UAE’s leader, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, reportedly called Netanyahu days before the attack to warn of a “quake” if no progress was made.

Netanyahu has denied the warnings, calling the reports “fake news” and filing defamation lawsuits against outlets that published them. In a statement, he said he had lit a memorial candle commemorating every victim of 7 October. “We will complete the mission: we have settled the score and will continue settling the score with all the murderers,” he added.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces carried out new strikes in Gaza, killing at least three people. Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City reported two deaths, including a civil defence volunteer, while Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis reported the death of a 60-year-old man. The Israeli military claimed it had killed “two Hamas terrorists” near the Yellow Line, a de facto border between Israeli and Hamas-controlled areas.

Gaza’s health ministry, which is under Hamas, reports that more than 74,200 people have been killed in the war, with over 1,460 additional deaths since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in October 2025. The Israeli military disputes the casualty figures and claims it has killed “4,000 out of the 6,000 Palestinians who infiltrated Israel from Gaza” on October 7.

Mahmoud Abu Hasira, a Gaza City resident, said Israel has turned the territory into an “uninhabitable place.” “We once had homes, but now we have lost our loved ones, whose bodies still lie beneath the rubble,” said Bassam Nasser, a displaced resident of Beit Hanoun.

As the war continues, political tensions in Israel have intensified ahead of national elections later this month. Anti-government protesters dyed a Tel Aviv fountain red and held a moment of silence on a highway, with banners reading “the people will remember their sons and daughters.” At a memorial event, one grieving father shouted at Netanyahu, “You didn’t protect my son.”