Three years after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, President Isaac Herzog led Israel’s National Memorial Day commemorations as survivors and medical workers recounted the country’s continuing recovery.
674 wounded reached Soroka Medical Center in the first 24 hours, hospital director Shlomi Codish said, after staff doubled early staffing, declared a mass-casualty incident at 7:45 a.m. and secured extra blood supplies.
250 units of blood were used by day’s end, and more than 80 casualties arrived in a single hour while the hospital itself remained under rocket fire and roads were too dangerous for transfers.
53 days after her sister was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nirim, nurse Nil Kirsht-Levi welcomed her home in a November 2023 ceasefire deal; she said she lost more than 30 patients and over 200 acquaintances that day.
In kibbutzim near Gaza, accounts from Kirsht-Levi and midwife Michaela Koretsky underscored how civilians and health workers improvised care under fire, shaping the anniversary’s focus on loss, survival and rehabilitation.
What hidden coping mechanisms are former hostages and frontline nurses using to survive the psychological aftermath of the deadliest day?
How did ordinary civilians and medical workers manage to outlast the systemic military failures during the devastating October 7 attacks?
Three years after October 7, can new resilience centers and clinics truly heal the invisible scars of a shattered community?
Three Years Since October 7: National Memory, Political Division, and Israel’s Changing Place in the World
Overview
Three years after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks that killed around 1,200 people and saw over 250 hostages taken, Israel marked a national day of mourning amid deep political divisions and public anger over government failures. While official ceremonies were held, many bereaved families and civil groups organized independent memorials, reflecting a fractured society. The prolonged conflict led to a major conscription crisis, overwhelmed hospitals, and a collapse in mental health support, prompting grassroots resilience programs. Internationally, Israel’s standing eroded due to the war’s humanitarian toll, fracturing its U.S. alliance and facing growing isolation, as the conflict expanded into a multi-front regional war.