Israeli politicians from both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition and the opposition bloc seeking to replace him in the upcoming elections marked the three-year anniversary of the October 7 massacre on Wednesday at memorial sites in the South and warned against another attack recurring in the future.
Oppostion party leaders also sharply criticized the government for failures during that day.
Netanyahu did not visit a memorial site, though he lit a candle at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem for the victims of the attacks and called to "hold all the murderers accountable."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called to dismantle the Palestinian Authority during his remarks at an event held at the Nitzanei Oz junction. The intersection is adjacent to the West Bank city of Tulkarm, a site of frequent IDF raids and terror threats.
He warned that the country must not repeat past security mistakes and must therefore dismantle the PA.
“Their weapons must be confiscated. They must be disarmed. Authority officials must be arrested. We must not repeat the same mistake twice,” Ben-Gvir said.
Three years after the massacre, no probe has yet been established to investigate government failures, amid a dispute over what kind of investigation should be conducted and who should lead it.
Party leaders in the opposition bloc have vowed to conduct a state commission of inquiry in the next government formed. Netanyahu has repeatedly spoken out against judicial appointments being in charge of the investigation.
Eisenkot on joining October 7 government: 'I don't regret it for a moment'
Leading prime ministerial candidate in the opposition bloc, Gadi Eisenkot, who chairs the Yashar Party, marked the day by visiting Kibbutz Re’im.
He visited the bomb shelter where Aner Shapira, the son of Yashar candidate Shira Shapira, was killed, along with dozens of Nova music festival attendees who had sought refuge there during the attacks.
Eisenkot said on KAN that the government’s policies represent “a threat to our future in the State of Israel,” three years on from the massacre.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who leads the B’Yachad party, also went to Kibbutz Re'im, and was seen praying Shacharit at the site of the Nova festival on Wednesday.
Later, while visiting the bomb shelters at Kibbutz Alumim, Bennett issued a short statement promising to improve the state of the nation.
“On October 7, we discovered that we are a nation of lions,” Bennett said. “From here, I promise to all the families that we will do everything to build a country that will be worthy of their sacrifice.”
Avigdor Liberman visits Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Nova festival site
Yisrael Beytenu leader MK Avigdor Liberman marked the day by visiting Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a Gaza border town where more than 100 civilians were murdered on October 7, and many others were kidnapped.
“Here,” Liberman said, “the full magnitude of mutual solidarity and courage was revealed – people who rose that morning to save their neighbors and protect their families and homes.”
Later, standing at the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Gaza border, Liberman said the “government responsible for the October 7 massacre continues to fund Hamas” by providing aid to Gaza through the border crossing.
“Hamas seizes control of every truck that enters the Strip. Hamas collects taxes from every merchant in Gaza,” Liberman said, criticizing the government for allowing this to continue.
“Where is the victory? Where is the decisive defeat of the enemy? All we see here is a return to the old failed concept, a return to a policy of containment.”
Callousness, malice, cynicism, contempt, and negligence
Democrats Party chairman and former IDF deputy chief of staff Yair Golan attended a memorial ceremony in Kfar Aza. He called the October 7 massacre a “disaster and horrific failure.”
“Israeli residents were abandoned into the hands of a cruel enemy by their own government,” Golan said, offering a harsh critique of Netanyahu’s government.
“They were abandoned with callousness, with malice, with chilling cynicism, with humiliating contempt, with neglect and criminal and horrific negligence,” he added.
“In exactly three weeks, we have a historic opportunity to put an end to this,” Golan continued. “On one small slip of paper, we will vote for hope, and for life.
Moti Leitner speaks about the importance of unity
October 7 changed Israel, both as a nation and as individuals, Moti Leitner, chairman of the newly established Haredi Public Party, said.
“That horrific day reminded us of something we had forgotten: we all share one fate. Haredim [ultra-Orthodox] secular Israelis, and religious Israelis alike. The responsibility for the future of our nation here in Israel belongs to all of us,” he added.