Middle East: Three years after the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas

On Wednesday, Israel marked the third anniversary of the coordinated attacks of 7 October 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage by the Hamas terrorist group. Families of the victims and survivors concentrated on various points in the south of the country, including bomb shelters, road crossings and the site where the Nova music festival was held near the Kibbutz Reim, one of the epicentres of the attacks.

This day marked a turning point in the national collective duel, developing for the first time with all the surviving hostages returning on Israeli soil. For years, uncertainty about the fate of the captives had been at the centre of mobilizations and tributes.

Among the stories that mark this anniversary is that of Elkana Bohbot, 37, who spent 738 days kidnapped after being captured at the Nova Festival. Released 11 months ago, Bohbot remained much of his captivity in underground cells 50 meters deep. After a period of physical and emotional rehabilitation, he reconstructed his family life and recently celebrated the birth of his daughter Michele with his wife Rivka and his 5-year-old son Reem.

Health evacuation and emergency in the Gaza Strip

In the Gaza Strip, the day went without public action, in a territory deeply beaten by three years of military operations. According to the balance sheet of the Ministry of Health, which is considered reliable by United Nations (UN) agencies and independent specialists, the death toll is over 74,000, of which about half are women and children.

The offensive led to the forced displacement of approximately 90 per cent of the enclave population, which in many cases had to move on multiple occasions. Restrictions on the entry of basic supplies kept more than two million Palestinians in a situation of extreme food and health vulnerability, with much of the families living in improvised shelter camps.

Despite the entry into force of a ceasefire on 10 October, which resulted in a reduction in the intensity of large-scale clashes, specific operations continued. Since the beginning of the truce, 1,145 Palestinians had died and seven Israeli soldiers had been killed in armed incidents.

Reconfiguration of the military and political scenario in the Middle East

The impact of the conflict in 2026 altered the security architecture throughout the Middle East. The Israeli Defence Forces maintain military presence in areas of southern Lebanon, where confrontation with the Hezbollah group resulted in the displacement of more than 300,000 people.

The military crash also covered operations in Syria and direct escalation with Iran. In this context, the United States participated with Israel in two rounds of attacks directed against Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure, generating episodes of instability in oil markets and involving countries of the Persian Gulf.

In parallel, the internal situation in the West Bank recorded a sustained increase in violence, marked by clashes, military incursions and attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities and their property.

Internal political tensions on the Israeli scene

The anniversary also revealed the political divisions that persist in Israeli society in the conduct of war and government management.

The executive headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held the official State ceremonies on October 5, which coincided with the anniversary according to the Hebrew calendar. The conduct of separate events reflected the discrepancies between the government and sectors of civil society, together with the demands for the opening of an independent official investigation into the security failures of 7 October 2023.