BySHIR PERETS, LEO FEIERBERG BETTER, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated:

One thousand days after October 7, Israelis remembered those lost in the attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza with protests and ceremonies.

On Thursday evening, thousands of protesters marched in Tel Aviv calling for the establishment of a government commission of inquiry into the massacre.

Former hostages and bereaved family members of those who died in the massacre spoke at a ceremony in Hostage Square.

"For you, it has been 1,000 days, but for me, it has been an eternity," released hostage Rom Braslavski said at the ceremony at Hostage Square.

"For me, these have been 1,000 lifetimes lived within 1,000 days."

Released hostage Rom Braslavski speaks on the 1,000 day since October 7 on July 2, 2026.
Released hostage Rom Braslavski speaks on the 1,000 day since October 7 on July 2, 2026. (credit: Chen G. Schimmel)

"My personal war, the war of rehabilitation, and the war against the cursed disease called post-traumatic stress disorder, continues every single day. Every therapy session, I cry, and I almost pass out," he said painfully from the stage.

"I promise here, before this wonderful crowd standing in front of me, that I will make October 7 the mission of my life, and I will never forget," the released hostage said.

"As long as I live, I will carry this story with me and tell it wherever I can and on every platform I can—for the next 1,000 days, and for the rest of my life."

Activist and mother of released hostage Matan Zangauker, Einav, called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take responsibility for the massacre.

"One thousand days of hell have passed since that cursed morning that changed our lives forever. Days of war, of cover-ups, of failure – this is Netanyahu's legacy, and we have been paying the price for that failure for 1,000 days.

"From here, we fought together to bring back my Matan and all the hostages, and now we must keep going. Together, we will demand a state commission of inquiry. We will demand accountability from everyone who failed, everyone who knew, everyone who concealed, and everyone who abandoned us.

"We will not stop until everyone responsible for the failure, the abandonment, and the disaster is held accountable, and until we send the government of total failure home."

Police arrest eight protesters who marched on Ayalon Highway

Protesters commemorating 1,000 days since the October 7 massacre blocked the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv.

Earlier on Thursday, Israel Police clashed with protesters outside the Knesset. They have arrested eight protesters who were blocking traffic, and the Ayalon Highway has reopened.

Protesters told Ynet that police were attempting to disperse them violently.

Israelis across the country commemorated the day with a moment of silence at 6:29 a.m. and protests at several junctions.

Yellow-clad protestors holding flags and signs in commemoration of the attacks blocked traffic at the Karkur Junction near Haifa.

'We won't forget, and we won't forgive'

"One thousand days. We won't forget, and we won't forgive," read one sign outside the Knesset, while banners on the Ayalon Highway read: "1,000 days of shiva [mourning]."

1000 days since the October 7th massacres. Protestors in Tel Aviv block the Ayalon Freeway. The banner reads “1000 days of shiva [mourning]”
1000 days since the October 7th massacres. Protestors in Tel Aviv block the Ayalon Freeway. The banner reads “1000 days of shiva [mourning]” (credit: YAEL GADOT)

A similar group stood at the Kabri Junction in the Galilee.

There, some protestors demanded a National Commission of Inquiry into the events of October 7, a call that has been rejected by the right-wing government since the attack.

"1,000 days of burying the truth," read a banner held by two protestors.

Protesters have also gathered around the homes of prominent Knesset members, including Education Minister Yoav Kish in Hod Hasharon and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana in Tel Aviv.

Protesters outside Ohana's home condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after remarks he made in an interview with Channel 14, in which he joked that all that's changed for him since October 7 was losing a little weight.

Another group of protestors arranged for a "wake up call" at the home of Culture and Sports Minister, MIki Zohar, at 7:10 a.m.

"This is a psychopathic leader who, since October 7, has lost weight - that's what he has been through since then. Zero in management, zero in responsibility, zero in leadership," the protesters said.