3 Years After October 7 Massacre: Israel Observes Memorial and Protest Events

Three years have passed since the October 7 massacre, and the nation continues to grapple with the trauma and loss. Today, a series of memorial and protest events are expected to take place across Israel, marking the anniversary with solemnity and defiance. At 6:29 p.m., the time when the atrocities began, a nationwide minute of silence will be observed at numerous locations, followed by protests and a memorial ceremony at the Nova compound.

At 12:00 p.m., a minute of silence will be held in hospitals, schools, universities, and local authorities. Later, at 21:15 p.m., a national memorial ceremony for the families of the victims will be led by the ‘Comom!’ movement, founded by Jonathan Shmariz, brother of Alon Shmariz, who was abducted to Gaza and tragically killed by IDF gunfire.

The memorial day for the October 7 massacre will also take place at the Nova Party Complex in Bad Parking. Families of those who fell at the Nahal Oz outpost arrived in the morning to the observation monument near the site, where a brief conjugal ceremony was held. Some families had arrived earlier at 6:29 p.m. for personal moments of remembrance, where their daughters had fallen, and then joined the monument for a joint ceremony.

Libby’s family members, who were murdered while trying to escape the Nova Party, arrived at 8:11 a.m. on Route 232, the exact location and time where her life was cruelly taken. At that moment, Libby called her family and told them she had been shot. As she separated from her mother, father, twin brother, and sister, she said, “They are going back to shoot me again.” Libby was murdered when her family heard a second burst of gunfire through the phone. In a memorial presentation, her family created a graffiti that recreated the way she was taken.

Graffiti in memory of Livy Cohen Miguri on Route 232. Photo: Courtesy of the Cohen family. Plus, dozens of protest convoys have come out across the country, demanding accountability and justice. The protests, titled “Three years for October 7th – the protest convoys are back,” call for remembering and not forgetting. The most severe disaster that has struck the Jewish people since the Holocaust has not yet been established an investigation committee. The prime minister did not take responsibility, did not conclude, and we did not learn the lesson.

Hundreds of Israeli flag-wearing vehicles will exit four hubs across the country and rally to one convoy, miles long, on its way to Kibbutz Nachshon, where a ceremony will be held. The events reflect a deep yearning for truth, justice, and remembrance, echoing the biblical call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). As the nation continues to process the pain and seek accountability, the hope remains that through remembrance and justice, peace may be restored.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Hebrew)