On October 7, 2024, millions of Israelis sought to commemorate the devastating attacks a year ago. Many chose to attend different types of events.
On the Gaza border, for instance, people came to the site of the Nova festival massacre to memorialize the fallen. Later in the day, there were two major commemorative events, one run by the ruling coalition of the government and one by families and relatives of victims of the massive attack. The event by the families and victims was held in Yarkon Park.
The fact that one year after the attack there cannot be a unified ceremony to commemorate the massacre and those still held hostage is troubling. At the beginning of the war, one of the main phrases that was plastered across the country was “together we will win” or variations on this theme of “unity” and “victory.” After October 7, more than 300,000 Israelis were called up to the reserves. Some of those who were called up have now served eight months out of the last twelve.
The initial shock of the attack on Israel and the chaos that followed led to a sense of national unity. Many individual and local initiatives were involved in this effort. However, over time, some of this has worn off. This has occurred for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons is the deep divide between those who have protested for a ceasefire and prioritize returning the hostages and those who oppose a deal.
Since the beginning of the war, I have spent a lot of time on the border of Gaza and also in northern Israel in areas under Hezbollah rocket fire. What has struck me is that while there is incredible solidarity on the local level, there is a sense that the government has been absent from both the border of Gaza and the northern border. Politicians from some parties do not seem to visit the area, and it is also likely made known to them that they will face negative reactions and tough questions in the communities.
Taking tough questions from the public should be part of what politicians do. For instance, when communities want to know why they had to wait in their shelters for many hours, or in some cases more than a day, to get assistance on October 7, they deserve answers.
The most harrowing lack of answers comes in the form of the inability of the state to grapple with the massacre of the women IDF observers at Nahal Oz base and the kidnapping of seven of the observers, of whom five are still held in Gaza. Families want answers about how this disaster and massacre unfolded. They do not appear to have received those answers.
Unanswered questions and key details missing
How were so many soldiers left unarmed in a base so close to the border? Why weren’t there enough combat soldiers to protect them? Why weren’t forces mobilized faster to rescue them? Why are IDF soldiers still being held hostage in Gaza after a year if the assessment is that Hamas is largely defeated in Gaza?
The unanswered questions are only part of what leaves the country divided. There is no state commission of inquiry to look at October 7 and investigate what happened and learn from it. In the absence of such an investigation, many parts of the government are left to investigate on their own. Inevitably, these investigations will be narrow and fall short of a broader inquiry.
As time goes by, many of those who survived October 7 and who were responsible for what happened will grow older and may forget key details. Some of the combat soldiers and officers have now been fighting for twelve months and are now also fighting in Lebanon. Some of them have been killed. Over time, key people whose voices are necessary to record and who have recollections about how the day unfolded will no longer have the clarity to recall the disaster, and they may also be unable to if they fall in battle.
There is a major disconnect between the ceremonies of the government and the other ceremonies. One is a narrative that presents this war as a victory, and the other is a narrative of empathy and heartfelt emotions that relate to the hostages and the fallen.
There are exceptions to this bifurcation between the methods of relating to October 7. Israeli President Isaac Herzog went to the site of the Nova festival massacre on October 7. “Until my last day, I will be haunted by the smell of burnt bodies and the sight of pools of blood, alongside family photos and children's books—in the paradise that turned into Hell,” he said. “It has been a year, and this morning, at 6:29 AM, at the site of the Nova Festival massacre, I began a three-day journey of mourning, reflection, and remembrance in the western Negev. I want to tell you, my brothers and sisters, what I see: I see new buildings rising from the fragments and ruins,” he added in a statement.
Herzog has stood out as a unified since October 7. I saw him early in the war when he came to Sderot days after it was attacked. He visited a temporary police station that was in a community building after the Sderot police station was destroyed in the October 7 attack. Herzog seemed to be one of the few government officials and politicians who visited the Gaza border area in the wake of the attack.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has also sought to visit sites of the massacre and be seen among average Israelis. As such, his presence has also become a unifying symbol. On October 7, his office put out several photos of him touring various sites.
“The Minister spoke with the residents of Nativ Ha'asara, Yakhini, Nahal Oz, and Ofakim. He met with the families of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, lit a memorial candle in the Nahal Oz military base command and control room, toured the Nova Festival memorial site, and visited an exhibit located in the Eshkol regional council. Later in the day, Minister Gallant visited the community support center in the 'Mishor HaGefen' neighborhood in Ofakim, along with Mayor Itzik Danino.”
The older generation and a unified society
Gallant and Herzog represent an older generation of Israelis who tap into a more unified society. They feel at home going to kibbutzim and to the site of the Nova festival. They feel at home among Israelis of diverse walks of life. Gallant has shown throughout the year that he is willing to listen to criticism and tough questions from those who suffered on October 7. He also dons all black all the time, a symbol of his commitment to the cause.
As the war enters its second year, the question of unity and victory will continue to hang over the country. Israel is now at war on another front in Lebanon and faces Iranian-backed attacks on numerous other fronts. The war may grow.
There are still 60,000 Israelis displaced in the north. The divided ceremonies to commemorate the massacre are a concern.
October 7 was the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. The divided memory of that day, for instance, between those who do not want to answer questions about why IDF observers were left to be massacred and kidnapped and those who want answers, will haunt the country until there are answers.
If the country can choose the path of Herzog, Gallant and other unifiers, it may extricate itself from this division. In the end, the country will need to find politicians who feel they can visit the site of the Nova festival and visit the kibbutzim, and face the public.