Several Palestinians, including women and children, were injured in an Israeli airstrike on a tent at a displacement camp in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
Mohamed Goufa, a Gaza resident who witnessed a young boy being wounded in the airstrike and whose own daughter was also injured, recalled how the incident unfolded.
"He was sitting there in peace. He had just bathed, and suddenly, the [munition] hit right on top of him. A loitering munition struck the spot. The targeted place was supposed to be safe. We're all peaceful people. All of us civilians -- peaceful, sitting in a tent, sitting under Allah's protection -- all we saw was the missile coming down on the man and his children. As you can see, my daughter was hurt too. Today is the third anniversary of October 7," he said.
Gaza's death toll since a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect on October 10 2025 had reached 1,471, according to a daily report by the health authorities in the enclave. The overall death toll since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7, 2023 has reached 74,254, the authorities said.
Israeli strike hits Gaza tent, several hurt
Israel marked the somber third anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered the current round of conflict in Gaza, with national memorial events laying bare deep societal rifts across the country.
The divisions were evident in the anniversary commemorations, as many families of hostages and their supporters chose to skip government-organized ceremonies, arguing that the war had been prolonged for political gains.
"My family who lives in Israel would never go near a government ceremony, which is sad that even in grief we are so divided; the country is still so divided," said Julia, a Canadian visitor to Israel.
As government ministers took the stage in Jerusalem, the families chose to be elsewhere, including at "The Space Left Behind," an exhibition at the Peres Center in Tel Aviv showcasing personal belongings of those killed in the Oct. 7 attack and the war that followed.
"We are giving as much as we can to the families. I feel like the politics is coming between [us and] that exhibition, just because this is all for life," said Emek Keidar Juma'a, curator of "The Space Left Behind" exhibition.
"I have the feeling that I had when I went to Hostages Square. The support of the people in Israel, it's so exciting, and also here. And I see that people are reading and seeing Tal's item, and it's very exciting because they don't have to come. They choose to come in support," said Ela Haimi, a Gaza border resident, who lost her husband Tal in the October 7 attack.
The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 people and triggered a massive Israeli military campaign across Gaza that has killed, according to Gaza-based health authorities, more than 74,200 people. It subsequently expanded into fighting across the region.
Israel marks third anniversary of Oct. 7 attack amid deep societal divisions
