Dossier · Israel

October 7: three years on

Three years after the deadliest day in Israel’s history, every hostage has come home — but the families are still waiting for answers about how it could happen.

Last reviewed: October 7, 2026

Factual reporting

Everything in this part is reporting: facts, timeline and answers, each linked to the sources below so you can check them yourself. Something not right? Let us know

Key facts

On 7 October 2023, from 6:29 a.m., Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities near Gaza. More than 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. [1]
On 7 October 2026 Israel held ceremonies, memorials and protests at more than 400 locations, beginning with a national moment of silence at 6:29. [1][2]
The remains of the last hostage, police officer Ran Gvili, were recovered from Gaza on 26 January 2026. With that, all hostages had been returned. [3]
No state commission of inquiry has been established. A coalition bill for a different, politically appointed inquiry passed only a first reading in July 2026. [4]
Most opposition parties back a state commission; Likud and several coalition partners declined to say which model they prefer. [5]
According to the IDF, Military Intelligence and the Gaza border defences have been overhauled — yet neither Hamas nor Hezbollah has been decisively defeated. [7]

GOD News reporting in this dossier

Analysis
October 7, three years on: every hostage home, but no answers yet
Israel marked the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attack with silence at 6:29 and protests across the country. All hostages have returned; a state inquiry still has not been set up.
News
Thousands dance with Torah scrolls in Jerusalem, three years after October 7
On the night after Simchat Torah, thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Jerusalem for Hakafot Shniyot — dancing with Torah scrolls at the Western Wall, Liberty Bell Park and the First Station. Three years after the October 7 massacre, the joy carried memory and resolve.
News
IDF inquiry finds Paga outpost was unprepared for the October 7 assault
A ten-month military inquiry says systemic failures in training, equipment and defensive planning left the outpost west of Kibbutz Be’eri unable to stop the Hamas-led assault, while also documenting the courage of soldiers who fought there.
Opinion / Column
A disaster narrowly averted: the Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv
From Yafo, Henk Folkers describes how a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Ben Gurion narrowly escaped disaster after one pilot stabbed the other. The investigation into the motive is ongoing.

Questions readers ask

Are there still hostages in Gaza?

No. The Israeli military confirmed on 26 January 2026 that, with the return of Ran Gvili’s remains, all hostages held in Gaza had been repatriated. [3]

Why is there no state commission of inquiry?

A state commission is independent and appointed through the Supreme Court’s president. The government has not established one and has proposed a politically appointed panel instead; that bill has not been passed. Opposition parties have pledged to create a state commission if they form the next government. [4][5]

Who has taken responsibility?

Axios reports that every other senior national security official in office on 7 October has resigned. Prime Minister Netanyahu has not, and has said security chiefs kept him uninformed. These are contested political claims; an inquiry would be the place to establish the facts. [6]

Sources

Every number in square brackets refers to a source in this list. Open the original, or the web archive copy if a page has changed or disappeared.

Israel marks three years since October 7 attack with memorials and protestsCNN · October 7, 2026 · Web archive
Israel marks 3 years since Oct. 7 with mourning, protests and demands for answersYnetnews · October 7, 2026 · Web archive
Israel says it has retrieved remains of final Gaza hostage Ran GviliBBC News · January 26, 2026 · Web archive
Nearly three years after October 7, inquiry delayed by at least another six monthsYnetnews · July 7, 2026 · Web archive
State inquiry or ‘national’ panel? How Israel’s parties want Oct. 7 investigatedYnetnews · October 4, 2026 · Web archive
3 years later, Netanyahu faces reckoning over Oct. 7 in Israeli electionAxios · October 7, 2026 · Web archive
Three years after Oct. 7, IDF changes as Hamas, Hezbollah endure and manpower strain mountsYnetnews · October 7, 2026 · Web archive

Checked by the editors on October 7, 2026

Kingdom perspective

Faith reflection — kept separate from the reporting above. The references point to the passages; read them in your own Bible.

Mourning is not weakness. Scripture gives grief a voice — and justice a place. Psalm 34 promises that the Lord is near to the broken-hearted. We pray for the bereaved families, for the hostages who came home and still carry their captivity, and for leaders willing to let the truth be told.

Grief that is allowed to speak

Lament is not a lack of faith; it is faith that keeps talking to God in the dark. A third of the Psalms are cries of pain, and Jesus Himself wept at the grave of His friend. Three years on, believers do not need to hurry the bereaved towards closure. We are called to weep with those who weep and to stay.

Psalm 34:18 · Lamentations 3:19–23 · John 11:33–35 · Romans 12:15

Truth and justice belong together

The God of Israel loves justice and calls His people to walk in truth. Asking honestly how such a day could happen is not disloyalty to a nation; it honours the dead and protects the living. Scripture never treats the failures of leaders as a secret to be kept, but as something to be brought into the light.

Micah 6:8 · Amos 5:24 · Psalm 89:14 · Ephesians 5:11–13

Freedom for the captives

Every hostage has come home, but captivity leaves wounds that do not end at the border. Jesus opened His ministry with Isaiah’s words about freedom for prisoners and beauty instead of ashes. That is the hope we hold out for the returned and their families: not a quick recovery, but a Redeemer who binds up the broken-hearted, slowly and faithfully.

Isaiah 61:1–3 · Luke 4:18–19 · Psalm 147:3

The Keeper of Israel

The Psalms speak of the One who keeps Israel and neither slumbers nor sleeps. On a day of memory we do not speculate about God’s timetable; we hold on to His faithfulness. His gifts and His calling to the Jewish people are irrevocable, and Christians are invited to stand alongside them in prayer.

Psalm 121:3–4 · Isaiah 62:6–7 · Romans 11:29

Prayer

Lord, You are near to the broken-hearted. Comfort the families who lost their loved ones on 7 October and heal those who came home from captivity. Give Israel’s leaders the courage to seek the truth, and keep Your people under Your faithful watch. Amen.

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Truth. Hope.Perspective.

October 7: three years on

Key facts

GOD News reporting in this dossier