October 7 attack shapes Israel’s elections and fuels political blame

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that the approaching three-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack remains a dominant force in Israeli politics as the country heads toward late-October elections. The assault, which Al Jazeera says killed 1,139 Israelis and saw about 250 people taken captive, continues to shape public debate over security, leadership and accountability.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under growing pressure over his government’s handling of the period before the attack and over his refusal to launch an independent inquiry into the failures that led up to it. According to the report, critics such as former prime minister Naftali Bennett and opposition figure Gadi Eisenkot accuse Netanyahu of ignoring warnings, relying on a security doctrine that assumed Hamas was contained, and failing to ensure Israel was prepared. Netanyahu has responded by shifting blame toward senior defence officials.

The article says the dispute has become politically charged as Netanyahu faces a corruption trial and a potentially decisive election. It also notes that some Israeli commentators and academics see the October 7 trauma as deeply embedded in public life, while attention to the suffering in Gaza has remained limited in mainstream Israeli debate. As background, the report places this within the broader aftermath of the war in Gaza and wider regional fighting, showing how the attack’s legacy continues to influence Israeli political identity and voting behavior.