Israel Strikes Gaza on October 7 Anniversary, Five Reported Dead
Israel carried out fresh strikes in the Gaza Strip on October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, with Palestinian officials reporting that five people were killed in separate incidents across the territory.
The strikes came as Israelis gathered at memorial events to mark the October 7, 2023 attack, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 people taken hostage, according to widely reported figures.
Five reported dead in Gaza
According to an AFP report published after the initial casualty reports, Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said two people were killed in an overnight Israeli strike. Gaza's Civil Defense identified one of them as Mohamed Tamous, who it said was a volunteer with the emergency service.
The Israeli military said it had targeted two Hamas members who had left Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. The military alleged that one of them had been preparing explosives near the so-called Yellow Line, which separates areas controlled by Israeli forces and Hamas.
In Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, Nasser Hospital reported that a 60-year-old man, Hisham Ibrahim Abu Mustafa, was killed in an Israeli strike. The hospital also reported receiving the body of Ziad Zaarab, who it said had been killed in an airstrike south of Khan Yunis.
Later, another person was reported killed when a strike hit a tent in the Al-Buraq camp, bringing the reported death toll from the day's strikes to five, according to Palestinian officials cited by AFP.
Strikes came as Israel marked October 7 anniversary
The latest violence occurred as Israel observed three years since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023. Families and survivors gathered at locations connected to the attack, including the site of the Nova music festival, where more than 300 people were killed.
The anniversary remained a deeply emotional moment in Israel, while Palestinians in Gaza marked three years of war, destruction and displacement
Ceasefire has not ended violence
A US-brokered ceasefire that took effect in October 2025 has reduced the scale of fighting, but violence has continued. Gaza's Health Ministry, which operates under Hamas authorities, says more than 74,200 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the Israeli military campaign. The United Nations has considered the ministry's overall casualty figures broadly reliable, while noting the source is controlled by Hamas.
Israel says it continues to conduct operations against Hamas and has maintained control over parts of Gaza. The conflict has displaced much of the territory's population and left large areas severely damaged.
The latest strikes on the anniversary underscore how fragile the ceasefire remains, even as both Israelis and Palestinians continue to live with the consequences of the October 7 attack and the war that followed.