Residents gather on a hill on October 1, 2026, in Sderot, one of the areas in southern Israel attacked by Hamas three years prior. © Oded Balilty, AP
Reported by:
Cherry Meigh Timbol
News Content Editor
Published October 6, 2026
Israel has placed its military on heightened alert ahead of the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, with Defense Minister Israel Katz warning that Hamas and Gaza’s population could face a severe response if Israeli forces are attacked.
The warning comes as Israelis prepare to mark one of the most traumatic days in the country’s modern history, while Gaza remains devastated by years of war, displacement and the destruction of vital infrastructure.
Israel warns of a heavy response
Katz said Tuesday that the military had been instructed to increase its readiness because of intelligence indicating that Hamas could attempt attacks against Israeli forces in Gaza on October 7.
According to the statement from his office, any attack resulting in Israeli military casualties would trigger what he described as a “heavy price” for Hamas and the population of Gaza.
The warning underscores the security fears surrounding the anniversary. October 7, 2023, began with a large-scale Hamas assault on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures cited by AP and AFP.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a state ceremony Monday, reiterated that there would be no Hamas rule in Gaza and said Israel would continue pursuing people involved in the October 7 attack or the taking of hostages.
Three years later, Gaza remains devastated
The anniversary is also highlighting the enormous human cost of the war in Gaza.
AP reports that more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli military campaign began, while much of Gaza has been destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people have experienced repeated displacement. The figures come from Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose casualty statistics are widely cited by international organizations but are administered by Hamas authorities.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF), meanwhile, says the humanitarian situation remains catastrophic.
In a report published October 5, the organization said Israeli military positions and the so-called Yellow Line have increasingly confined Palestinians to a smaller area. MSF estimates that Israeli forces currently occupy approximately 65% of Gaza and says continued demolitions and restrictions are limiting access to water, healthcare and other necessities.
MSF also reported treating more than 200,000 trauma cases during the past three years. It said 94% of Gaza’s hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, citing World Health Organization figures, while only 19 of the territory’s 36 hospitals remained operational at the time of its report.
A society still shaped by October 7
AP’s reporting from Israel illustrates how profoundly the 2023 attack continues to shape Israeli public opinion.
Three years after the attack, many Israelis remain deeply traumatized. Memorials and commemorations have kept the victims and hostages at the center of national attention, while many Israelis continue to view the Gaza conflict primarily through the lens of security and the threat posed by Hamas.
At the same time, AP describes a sharp disconnect between the Israeli public’s experience of October 7 and the international focus on the devastation in Gaza. The result is a conflict in which grief, fear and anger remain deeply entrenched on both sides.
The humanitarian consequences
MSF says the consequences extend well beyond immediate battlefield casualties.
The organization reports that shortages of medical supplies, fuel, spare parts and other essential materials are putting further pressure on Gaza’s already damaged health system. It also says inadequate water and sanitation are contributing to disease, with medical teams treating large numbers of skin infections, respiratory illnesses and other conditions.
MSF says its teams treated more than 1,200 cases of violent trauma in June and July alone, despite the existence of a ceasefire framework. The organization argues that destruction, displacement and deprivation have become normalized and warns that recovery could take generations.
These assessments come from an aid organization operating in Gaza and should be understood in that context; Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations that it is deliberately targeting civilians or seeking to destroy Gaza’s population.
Reactions and wider implications
The latest Israeli warning demonstrates how fragile the security situation remains even after efforts to establish a ceasefire and political framework for ending the war.
Israel’s position is that Hamas cannot be allowed to retain the military or governing capabilities that enabled the October 7 attack. For many Palestinians and humanitarian organizations, however, continued military pressure and restrictions have produced an unacceptable civilian catastrophe.
The competing priorities — Israeli security and accountability for October 7 on one side, and Palestinian civilian protection and humanitarian access on the other — remain among the biggest obstacles to a lasting political settlement.
The anniversary therefore carries two sharply different meanings.
For Israelis, October 7 remains a symbol of mass killing, hostage-taking and national trauma.
For Palestinians in Gaza, three years of war have produced mass displacement, destroyed homes and infrastructure, and a humanitarian crisis that continues to shape daily life.
What happens next?
The immediate concern is whether October 7 passes without a major escalation.
Israel’s decision to increase military readiness suggests authorities are preparing for the possibility of rocket attacks, armed assaults or other operations by Hamas. Any significant attack resulting in Israeli military casualties could provoke another round of Israeli military action and further undermine already fragile ceasefire arrangements.
The longer-term question is whether the parties can move beyond the cycle of attack and retaliation.
A sustainable settlement would require addressing Israeli security concerns while establishing credible guarantees for Palestinian civilian protection, humanitarian access, governance and reconstruction.
Without progress on those issues, the third anniversary risks becoming not only a moment of remembrance but another marker in an unresolved conflict.
🧩 Bottom Line:
Three years after October 7, the conflict remains defined by two realities that are difficult to reconcile.
Israel continues to view Hamas and the possibility of renewed attacks as an existential security threat, prompting heightened military preparations ahead of the anniversary. Gaza, meanwhile, remains devastated, with humanitarian organizations reporting severe damage to healthcare, infrastructure and basic living conditions.
The greatest immediate danger is another escalation around October 7. The greater long-term challenge is finding a political framework capable of addressing the security fears of Israelis and the humanitarian and political rights of Palestinians simultaneously.
Until that happens, the anniversary will remain a reminder not only of how the war began, but of how difficult it has become to bring it to a lasting end.
SOURCES: DW- Israel warns Gazans will pay ‘heavy price’ for any October 7 attacks on military
AP NEWS – Much of the world sees tragedy in Gaza. Many Israelis, scarred by Oct. 7, see only a threat
MSF – Three years on, Israel is asphyxiating Gaza and dismantling the means of survival
