October 7: Reim memorial, Hamas issues 11-point statement

Israel began its day of remembrance this morning at 6:29 a.m. local time, the minute the Hamas attack started on October 7, 2023, while Hamas itself marked the third anniversary with an 11-point statement. In it, the group demands an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Where is Israel gathering, and when?

Survivors and families of the dead gathered at Kibbutz Reim, near the site of the Nova music festival. According to the Times of Israel, as relayed by RTS, 378 people were killed at the festival and 44 were taken hostage to Gaza. The figures refer to the festival, not the whole kibbutz.

Memorials are being held throughout the day across the country, and in some municipalities flags have been lowered to half-staff. At noon the October Council, which brings together survivors and bereaved families, held a minute of silence. The central ceremony is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. in Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv, organized by the Kumu movement. The official state ceremonies took place yesterday, on the Hebrew date of remembrance set by the government.

What does the Hamas statement say?

Hamas called October 7 a “historic point in the Palestinian struggle” and said the attack was a response to what it describes as decades of occupation, the blockade of Gaza and pressure on Palestinians. It praised its fighters and said they had “shattered the myth of an invincible army”. It accused Israel of genocide and the mass killing of civilians.

The movement makes several demands:

• a complete end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip
• the reconstruction of Gaza and aid for Palestinians
• the release of Palestinian prisoners
• that the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice prosecute those responsible for genocide, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, members of his government and army commanders
• a unified Palestinian national strategy, with a call on all Palestinian groups to take part

In the final point, Hamas says Palestinians will keep defending their land, rights and holy sites and will resist the occupation until it ends and a “free, independent and fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital” is established. The statement also says Hamas remains committed to its obligations under the ceasefire agreement and to cooperation with mediators.

Whose numbers are these, and what do they count?

Sources disagree on how many people were killed in the attack itself three years ago. French President Emmanuel Macron cites more than 1,200 dead, including 51 French citizens. Al Jazeera gives 1,139 killed and about 240 taken captive, while RTS writes “more than 1,000” in its report.

For Gaza, the figures are as follows, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry as relayed by Al Jazeera: at least 74,000 people have been killed in three years, among them at least 21,000 children, and more than 175,000 have been wounded. The ministry counts only deaths recorded in hospitals or officially registered, so people buried under rubble and those missing are not included. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, 2025, at least 1,460 Palestinians have been killed and 5,116 wounded, the same ministry says.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports:

• 82 percent of all structures in Gaza have been destroyed
• 1.98 million people have been displaced, or 90 percent of the population
• only 42 of 666 health facilities are functioning

Macron and Meloni

Macron wrote on X that, three years on, France has not forgotten the victims, their names and their faces, and declared:

“The fight against antisemitism and terrorism, everywhere and always, along with the pursuit of peace and security for all: that is France’s commitment”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement that men, women and children were killed, that young people gathered at a music event were attacked and that civilians were taken into captivity. She added that no goal can justify the “deliberate massacre of innocent people”. She also recalled the suffering of civilians in Gaza and violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, and said:

“That spiral of violence must stop”

Meloni said Italy will keep working for a peace that guarantees security for Israelis and freedom and dignity for Palestinians, based on a two-state solution.

What else happened in the region this morning?

The Houthis targeted the international airport in Aden early this morning, and the media office of Aden’s security directorate said there were no casualties. An adviser to the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Mohammadreza Naqdi, said, according to the semi-official Fars agency, that shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz which Iran considers illegal will soon be closed. These, he said, are several routes through damaged rock formations that small boats use to smuggle oil.