Three years after Oct. 7, Israelis ask: What comes next?

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

At exactly 6:29 a.m. three years ago, Hamas launched its attack on southern Israel.

At the time, Israelis woke up to images of the border fence separating them from the Gaza Strip being breached, and Hamas fighters inside their towns and communities.

Today, as Israel marks the anniversary, the scene has changed. At the same time, the noise of demonstrations and protests in several locations overshadowed everything else.

President Isaac Herzog’s candle-lighting ceremony marking the anniversary did not change the reality on the ground.

Families of those killed and those held captive filled television screens, while hundreds observed a minute of silence outside the Knesset. Dozens also protested outside the homes of ministers and officials, despite police arresting a number of them. 

The demand was the same: the establishment of an official commission of inquiry into the events of Oct. 7.

What comes next, three years after the wars? That is the question Israelis are asking amid a state of deterioration affecting the political, economic, social and health sectors.

Political and security officials have provided no answer, insisting instead on highlighting what they describe as major achievements: a total of 100,000 targets struck across several fronts. Around 65,000 targets were struck in the Gaza Strip, 28,000 in Lebanon and Syria, 4,500 in Iran and around 80 in Yemen.

Political and security officials also sought to highlight, as part of the anniversary, the number of attacks that targeted Israel. Some 20,000 projectiles were launched from Lebanon, 10,000 from the Gaza Strip, 1,200 from Iran, 50 from Syria and around 90 from Yemen.

Alongside the figures on attacks and Israel’s response, another set of statistics released for the anniversary reflects the toll of the war. More than a quarter of Israelis have experienced psychological trauma since the war began, amounting to nearly 2.5 million people out of a population of more than 10 million.

Other figures relate to the impact of the war on reservists, including those who were wounded and those who were left disabled.

As Israelis await an answer to the question, “What comes next?” officials continue to issue threats, while the military maintains a heightened state of alert in the Gaza Strip and along the northern border with Lebanon.

The heightened alert comes amid fears of operations being carried out on this day, including the abduction of soldiers or attacks on military units, despite the absence of any information indicating such a scenario.