Israeli Families Mark 1,000 Days Since Hamas Attack With Nationwide Protests and Memorials

On the 1,000th day since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, members of the "October Council," representing over 1,500 bereaved families, former hostages, and massacre survivors, held memorial and protest events across Israel. The main event took place at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, which was renamed Memory Square for the occasion. Demonstrations also occurred outside the Knesset, at Paris Square in Jerusalem, and at intersections in Ra'anana and Karkur, among other locations. Protesters carried signs reading "Coffin" and "1,000 Days of Neglect and Failure." Police removed a large coffin-shaped installation placed near the Knesset entrance during the protests.

At the Nova site, bereaved parents gathered for a candle-lighting ceremony to commemorate the day. One father who lost his daughter told Ynet, "We are completely ignored, we are invisible. We need only a state commission of inquiry." Clashes occurred between police and protesters outside the Knesset, leading to police clearing the area. Protesters left behind a large installation blocking the road before departing. Additionally, dozens protested outside the homes of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Culture Minister Miki Zohar in Kiryat Gat, demanding the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.

Yoram Yehudai, father of Ron Yehudai who was killed at the Nova massacre, told Ynet, "A thousand days of bleeding hearts. No time for healing or rehabilitation because we must fight for a state commission of inquiry, for truth and justice." Amri Miran, held captive by Hamas for nearly two years, said in a Kan News interview, "We grow stronger day by day in the recovery process. Waking up at home is taken for granted, but it was not for two years. One thousand days is a milestone; it cannot be ignored." Yehudai also expressed his pain on the 1,000th day, describing it as "a thousand days without Ron, a thousand days of torment for the bereaved families, a thousand days of tormenting the nation, a thousand days of not knowing what happened or how."

Families of the Nova massacre victims held a memorial ceremony at the site where the killings occurred, as part of the nationwide remembrance events.