On Sunday, March 17, the Israeli government approved a decision designating the 24th of the Jewish month of Tishrei as a day of mourning and remembrance for the victims of the October 7 attack and the outbreak of the war in Gaza.
Starting next year, in 2025, ceremonies will also occur on October 7.
In the early hours of October 7, 2023, extensive rocket attacks began on the central regions of Israel from Gaza. Thousands of militants breached the borders of the strip, invading Israeli territory.
The assault resulted in the deaths of over a thousand civilians, along with hundreds of police officers and military personnel. Additionally, hundreds of Israelis and foreign citizens were captured, with many still held in the Gaza Strip.
According to official data, terrorists abducted 253 people on Israeli territory that day. Presently, 134 abductees (both living and deceased) remain in Gaza. Among them are four individuals held captive by Hamas since 2014, and 130 people abducted on October 7, 2023.
This group includes 111 men (including two small children) and 19 women, comprising 119 Israeli citizens and 11 foreigners (eight from Thailand, one from Nepal, one from Tanzania, and one each from France and Mexico). Another Israeli woman is considered missing.
In total, 123 individuals have been released or rescued. Five Israelis were rescued before the initial phase of the exchange with Hamas, while 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners were released during that phase (from November 24 to 30, 2023). Eight abductees were killed by Hamas, and their bodies were recovered by IDF forces, while three hostages were inadvertently killed by IDF soldiers. Two hostages were rescued during a special operation on February 12, 2024. On March 12, news emerged of the death of another hostage, a military serviceman.
On the first day of the war, October 7, terrorists attacked participants in a music festival near the Gaza border in Re'im. Approximately 3,000 people had gathered for the festival. Hundreds were killed, and many were taken hostage. Terrorists also carried out massacres in the villages of Beeri, Kfar Aza, and Nir Oz, targeting people of all ages and genders. Additionally, terrorists invaded Sderot, Ofakim, Netivot, and other settlements in the Western Negev, resulting in further casualties and thefts.
Following the attack, Hamas declared war on Israel, dubbing their actions the "Al-Aqsa Flood." In response, the Israeli government declared a state of war for the first time since 1973, marking the beginning of the War of Iron Swords.
In Israel, approximately 1,500 people died on October 7 and in the subsequent days of the war, with around 13,000 individuals wounded or injured. The casualties included citizens from various countries such as Israel, the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Brazil, China, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines, Nepal, South Africa, Sudan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
Israel has not experienced such losses in the past 50 years, since the Yom Kippur War.
A ground military operation in Gaza has been ongoing since the end of October. During battles with terrorists in the Gaza Strip, the IDF has suffered significant losses, with 250 soldiers killed since October 27 (the start of the ground operation in Gaza), including incidents near the border with Lebanon and in Judea and Samaria due to terrorist attacks on Israeli territory.
According to the IDF, at least 13,000 militants and their commanders have been killed in Gaza since the war began (although Hamas admits to the deaths of approximately 6,000 militants). Hezbollah has claimed the deaths of over 240 of its fighters and commanders, with losses also reported in the ranks of the Shia Amal movement and Hamas in Lebanon.
Since the onset of the war, over 14,000 rockets have been launched from the Gaza Strip, with the IDF estimating that up to 15% of them landed within Gaza itself. Additionally, thousands of rockets were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon, with approximately 20% falling on Lebanese territory. Hamas and Hezbollah also utilized UAVs to attack Israel.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis, both in the south and north, were compelled to evacuate their homes as the conflict unfolded.
The IDF is conducting intensive strikes against targets in Gaza, utilizing the Air Force, Navy, and artillery. They report that tens of thousands of targets in the Gaza Strip have been attacked since the war began. Regular strikes on targets in southern Lebanon are also being carried out by the IDF, along with attacks inside Syria.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health (associated with Hamas), approximately 32,000 individuals have been killed since the commencement of the war, with around 74,000 wounded.
The UN reports that about 1.7 million residents of the Gaza Strip have been displaced from their homes. The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that 1.3 million displaced Gazans are residing in shelters in the southern part of the strip. Moreover, the IDF states that over 1 million residents of northern Gaza have relocated to the south of the strip.
Since October 21, humanitarian aid has been delivered to the Gaza Strip, although Hamas intercepts a significant portion of this aid. Deliveries are made by truck or dropped from airplanes, with aid deliveries by sea also commencing.
