Israel To Commemorate October 7 As National Remembrance Day

Israel's government on Sunday decided to establish a national remembrance day for the October 7 attack by Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.

The commemoration, unanimously approved by the government, will involve two state ceremonies to mark the "disaster", a statement said.

One event will honour soldiers who died in the war while the other will pay tribute to "civilians who were murdered in acts of terrorism", the statement added.

The unprecedented Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign to eliminate Hamas has killed at least 31,645 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Palestinian militants seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages during the October 7 attack. Dozens were released during a week-long truce in November, and Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza including 32 presumed dead.