As the three-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack approaches, it continues to significantly influence Israeli politics, particularly as elections are set for late October. The Hamas-led assault resulted in the deaths of 1,139 Israelis and approximately 250 individuals taken captive, shaping public perception of Israel’s security situation in the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing criticism for not initiating an independent inquiry into his government's failures prior to the attack, despite similar inquiries into the military and intelligence services. Critics, including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, have accused Netanyahu of disregarding warnings about Hamas and failing to prepare the country adequately for the assault. Gadi Eisenkot, a former Chief of Staff and leading opposition candidate, has made an independent inquiry into the events of October 7 a key component of his party's campaign.
Netanyahu has responded by suggesting that senior defense officials chose not to alert him about suspicious activities in Gaza leading up to the attack, claiming that he would have ordered military readiness had he been informed. His wife, Sara Netanyahu, has pointed to opposition leader Yair Golan's quick response to the attack as evidence of foreknowledge of Hamas's plans.
Neve Gordon, an academic, criticized the Netanyahus for promoting conspiracy theories that could confuse the public and reinforce support for the prime minister. Israeli media has repeatedly covered the events of October 7, embedding the trauma in public consciousness and linking it to subsequent actions in Gaza, where over 73,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed.
Lev Grinberg, a sociology professor, noted that the October 7 attack has been framed as a new Holocaust, with the response to it characterized as legitimate, overshadowing the suffering of Palestinians. Ayala Panievsky, a media analyst, emphasized that the focus on October 7 has dominated the public discourse, leaving little room for discussions about the consequences in Gaza as the elections approach.