Israel's election campaign puts Oct. 7 attack at its center three years on
In short
Israelis are marking the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponents are making it the central issue of the country's first election since then, set for Oct. 27. The attack killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, according to the Associated Press. CBS News reports Netanyahu is being criticized over his handling of the attack, amid conflicting accounts about whether he was forewarned.
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Israelis are gathering to commemorate the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, three years after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostage in the deadliest day in Israel's history, the Associated Press reported. With Israel preparing for its first elections since the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponents are putting the anniversary at the heart of their campaigns. [ 1 , 2 ]
On the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas militants fired several thousand rockets into Israel and thousands of militants attacked through holes blown in the border fence or using boats or motorized paragliders, according to AP. Israel responded with a military offensive that has killed over 74,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to local health authorities, left the territory in ruins and sparked an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, AP reported. AP added that Israel later went to war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, seized a chunk of Syria, attacked targets in Yemen and joined the U.S. in two wars against Iran. [ 2 ]
Nearly every poster, stump speech or televised debate seems to reference the attack, AP reported. “October 7 is kind of a framework for the entire political discussion that is going on,” Tamar Hermann, an expert on Israeli public opinion at the Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem, told AP. Netanyahu's opponents want him to pay for the failures that led to the attack; his defenders say he was betrayed by the military establishment and has led Israel through a rebound from its darkest hour, according to AP. A loss in the Oct. 27 election would likely end the career of the soon-to-be 77-year-old Netanyahu, while a victory would mark his greatest turnaround yet, AP reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
CBS News reported that Netanyahu has come under fire over his handling of the Oct. 7 attacks weeks before the Israeli election, amid conflicting accounts about whether he was forewarned that an attack was coming. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
The Oct. 7 anniversary is shaping an Israeli election that could end the career of the country's longest-serving prime minister, with the worst security failure in Israel's history framed by his opponents as his responsibility and by his defenders as a military failing. The vote also comes as Israel remains engaged in wars and operations that began after the attack.
Key facts
- Israel is holding its first elections since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack, with voting set for Oct. 27. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- About 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, according to the Associated Press. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Israelis are gathering to commemorate the Oct. 7 attack three years later. [ 1 ]
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponents are putting the attack at the heart of their campaigns, with nearly every poster, stump speech or televised debate referencing it. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Israel's military offensive in response has killed over 74,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to local health authorities, left the territory in ruins and sparked an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, AP reported. [ 2 ]
- CBS News reported that Netanyahu has come under fire over his handling of the Oct. 7 attacks, amid conflicting accounts about whether he was forewarned that an attack was coming. [ 4 ]
- A loss in the Oct. 27 election would likely end the career of the soon-to-be 77-year-old Netanyahu, while a victory would mark his greatest turnaround, AP reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Israel is holding its first elections since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Netanyahu and his opponents are making the Oct. 7 attack central to their election campaigns. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Oct. 7, 2023 attack killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, according to the Associated Press. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The election is scheduled for Oct. 27. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Netanyahu was forewarned that an attack was coming on Oct. 7, 2023. CBS News reported conflicting accounts on the question and did not say which account is correct.
- The impact of the criticism of Netanyahu's handling of the attack on the outcome of the Oct. 27 vote. The documents describe the criticism and the campaign but give no polling or forecast.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Associated Press reports that Israelis are gathering to commemorate the Oct. 7, 2023 attack and that the anniversary is dominating the election campaign. [ 1 ]
- The Seattle Times publishes the same AP report, with detail on the attack and on Israel's subsequent wars in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and against Iran. [ 2 ]
- AP publishes a Spanish-language version of the report. [ 3 ]
- CBS News reports Netanyahu is being criticized over his handling of the Oct. 7 attacks weeks before the Israeli election, citing conflicting accounts about whether he was forewarned. [ 4 ]