7 October attack shapes Israeli election campaign
Three years after the Hamas attack, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his opponents make security and responsibility the main themes.
Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023 is at the centre of Israel’s election campaign. For the first time since the attack, Israelis are going to the polls, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponents hold each other responsible for the security crisis and its consequences.
Israel is commemorating the third anniversary of the attack on Wednesday. According to AP, about 1,200 people were killed in the attack and 251 people were taken hostage and brought to Gaza. The event led to the war in Gaza and still determines the security debate in Israel.
The parliamentary elections are scheduled for 27 October. In speeches and campaign statements, almost all major political camps refer to 7 October. Netanyahu presents himself as the politician who can protect Israel against new threats. Opposition parties, by contrast, emphasise the security failures that made the attack possible.
The debate is therefore about two different questions. The first is whether the government pursued the right military and diplomatic policy after the attack. The second is whether the state did enough beforehand to prevent the attack. Relatives of those killed and families of hostages have long been calling for an independent investigation into that second question.
For Netanyahu, the elections are also a judgement on his long period as prime minister. His supporters point to his government’s experience of war and the importance of deterrence. Opponents say that the scale of the attack proves precisely that the existing security policy has failed.
The commemoration is taking place against the backdrop of a ceasefire that has reduced the major fighting, but has not resolved the political and humanitarian consequences of the war. The conflict over Gaza, the relationship with the United States and the question of how Hamas should be disarmed remain part of the campaign.
The election result will therefore determine not only who leads the next government. It may also shape an investigation into the security failures, relations with Palestinians and the question of how much emphasis Israel places in the coming years on military power, negotiations or institutional reforms.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The elections are the first since the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023.
- The attack and the subsequent war dominate the campaign.
- Families and opposition parties are calling attention to possible security failures.
Left
Arguments The election should also be a judgement on political responsibility for the security failures and on the humanitarian consequences of the war. Without accountability, there can be no lasting security.
Values Accountability, civil rights and diplomacy.
Consequences A change of course could create scope for negotiations, but opponents fear that Israel would thereby lose deterrence.
Centre
Arguments Israel needs both protection against new attacks and an independent investigation and stable institutions. Security policy and diplomacy must coexist.
Values Institutional reliability, security and proportionality.
Consequences A moderate course could preserve international support, but could be criticised as too slow or insufficiently decisive.
Right
Arguments The attack proves that Israel can survive only through strong military power, robust deterrence and control of security risks. A change of government during an unresolved conflict is dangerous.
Values National security, sovereignty and deterrence.
Consequences Continuing the current policy could prioritise security, but would also maintain political and diplomatic tensions.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The political significance of the commemoration and the elections has been described independently by AP and Reuters. The text makes no unsubstantiated claims about blame or future results.
- confirmed The Israeli elections will take place on 27 October. — Mentioned in AP’s reporting on the election campaign. source
- confirmed About 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage in the attack of 7 October 2023. — These figures are cited by AP and Reuters. source
- confirmed The attack is a central theme in the election campaign. — AP describes Netanyahu’s campaign and that of his opponents in relation to 7 October. source
Editor's note
The date of the election, the role of 7 October in the campaign and the basic facts about the attack have been confirmed by AP and Reuters. The consequences of the election remain uncertain.Sources
- Netanyahu and his opponents are putting Oct. 7 at the heart of Israel’s elections — Associated Press
- October 7 families join election race with hope of healing Israel — Reuters via Investing.com
- Israelis mark three years since Hamas attack — Reuters via MarketScreener
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „israël hamas”
- de Volkskrant — „israël hamas”
- RTL Nieuws — „israël hamas”