World leaders solemnly mark 3 years since Oct. 7, as Hamas and Iran celebrate anniversary

Leaders from around the world issued statements Wednesday marking the third anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre in southern Israel, with most condemning the attack and the global surge in antisemitism that came in its wake, while also stressing efforts toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But not all were mournful, with Iran feting the anniversary of the attacks, and Hamas itself hailing the onslaught, during which terrorists killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 251 to Gaza amid brutal acts of violence and sexual assault, as “an extraordinary military achievement” that “shattered” Israel’s security doctrine.

Commemorating the attack’s anniversary, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham wrote that London remembers those “senselessly killed” by Hamas terrorists in the attack, adding that in the years since October 7, “we have seen a disturbing rise in antisemitic behavior in the UK,” and that “abuse and violence” against the British Jewish community “will not be tolerated.”

“Abroad, we continue to work towards a two-state solution, with Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace and security. An attack on Jewish people in Britain is an attack on all of us,” he said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said October 7 “marked a profound rupture” and that “we must confront antisemitism with determination. Jewish people should be able to live here without fear.”

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the “barbaric” attacks, noting that 51 French citizens were killed on that day. “Fighting antisemitism and terrorism, everywhere and always, and working for the peace and security of all: that is France’s commitment,” he wrote in a French-language post on X.

7 octobre.

3 ans que les attaques terroristes barbares du Hamas ont coûté la vie à plus de 1200 personnes, dont 51 de nos compatriotes.

3 ans que nous partageons la douleur de l’État d’Israël et des familles endeuillées.

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3 ans plus tard, nous n'oublions ni les noms,…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 7, 2026

Going further, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot visited Israel, spending Wednesday at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv and Kibbutz Be’eri, a Gaza border community that was hit particularly hard during the Hamas-led onslaught.

“I am in Israel today to pay tribute to the victims of October 7,” Barrot said in a statement, adding, “On that day, Hamas perpetrated the worst antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust, in which 51 French nationals lost their lives. We will never forget them. Nothing will erase their faces or their names.”

In a video shared by French radio RCJ, Barrot was seen touring the Tel Aviv square, which became the gathering place for thousands of Israelis who demonstrated throughout the war for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Barrot did not have any meetings set with senior Israeli officials during his visit, a French official told The Times of Israel, saying his visit was purely “to pay tribute for October 7.”

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote that “Hamas brought unspeakable suffering to the Israeli people and left devastation in its wake,” adding, “Hamas must disarm so that the [US-backed] Gaza Peace Plan [can] move forward.” Kallas said the EU “firmly reject[s] any form of antisemitism across Europe.”

Israel’s ties with Europe have grown increasingly strained in the years since October 7, amid mounting European criticism and punitive measures over the war against Hamas in Gaza and settlement policy, and Israeli accusations that European governments have failed to confront rampant antisemitism.

Meanwhile, the US-backed Board of Peace issued its own statement, highlighting the tragedy of the October 7 attack as well as the subsequent suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians in the war “unleashed by Hamas,” and stressing its commitment to advancing Washington’s plan for Gaza’s “demilitarization and deradicalization.”

“We remember those murdered and taken from us, and we will not allow their loss to be forgotten,” the Board wrote in a lengthy post on X. “We also lament the immense loss of life and profound suffering endured by Israelis and Palestinians in the war unleashed by Hamas on October 7. That suffering has left deep wounds across the region,” it added.

The international body hailed US President Donald Trump’s “commitment to the people of Israel” and success in bringing back the remaining hostages in Gaza last year, adding that it was determined to use its United Nations Security Council mandate to advance the president’s 20-point plan for the Strip.

“Genuine and durable security for Israel is the foundation on which any peace must be built, and it is the surest guarantee that no October 7 will ever happen again,” the Board wrote.

Two days before the anniversary, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement condemning the “abhorrent” Hamas attack while also calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

“Let this anniversary mark not only another year of mourning, but also a renewed determination to build a different future: one in which Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security, with their rights, dignity, and aspirations fulfilled,” Guterres said.

The UN chief acknowledged Israel’s casualties in the statement, while also saying that Palestinians in Gaza have faced a “massive loss of life, displacement and destruction.”

“Their suffering, too, demands an end, now,” Guterres said.

Mamdani accuses Israel of ‘ongoing genocide’ and ‘apartheid’

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also released a statement marking three years since October 7, but focused the bulk of it on Israel rather than on Hamas, accusing the Jewish state of genocide and apartheid.

“This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7. On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss,” Mamdani said.

“The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians — including more than 21,000 children,” he continued.

“Even since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed. That suffering has intensified with every Israeli bomb dropped on ambulances waiting outside hospitals, every drone strike targeting a residential building or journalist, and every shipment of food aid turned away at a border crossing,” Mamdani’s statement continued. “Many New Yorkers are reckoning with this unbearable grief, and we mourn alongside them—all while knowing that our tax dollars fund these war crimes.”

“Three years later, we must refuse to accept a world in which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met with impunity, and our federal government continues its complicity with every arms shipment. To honor the dead, we must fight for a world in which every person can live with freedom, safety, and dignity,” the full statement added.

Hamas hails ‘extraordinary military achievement’

In a statement, Hamas military wing spokesman Abu Obeida said that “October 7 was an extraordinary military achievement, with God’s help.”

“Enemies and friends alike acknowledged the scale of the planning, execution and deception,” he declared.

Abu Obeida said that “the arms of the fighters shattered the occupation’s security doctrine. There is no deterrence left. Palestine will not forget those who stood by its side, especially those who shed their blood for it.”

He also suggested that Hamas would like to see attacks on Israel launched from new sources.

“Everyone saw how the drones that came from various fronts [Yemen and Iraq] deprived the enemy of sleep. What would happen if a front were also opened against it from the west?” he said.

Also celebrating the anniversary of the attack was Iran, with its military chief saying it “accelerated the decline” of Israel.

“The Resistance Front turned its defensive strategy into an offensive strategy for the legitimate defense of the Palestinian people and their land, and accelerated the decline of the Zionist regime,” military chief of staff Ali Abdollahi said in a statement.

Following the Hamas-led attacks and massacres, Israel launched a widescale war against the terror group in Gaza, killing some 75,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry toll, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians and is believed by Israel’s military to be largely accurate.

IDF officials estimate that two to three civilians were killed for every dead terror operative. Israel has long accused Hamas of fighting from civilian areas, including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.

The fighting has caused widespread destruction in the Strip and has led to international accusations of genocide and crimes against humanity, which Israel firmly denies.

The fighting has largely subsided since an October 2025 ceasefire, which saw the release of the final Israeli hostages being held in the Strip. But Gaza remains bisected into Israeli- and Hamas-controlled areas, Israel continues to carry out strikes against Hamas operatives, and talks to bring about Hamas’s disarmament and the territory’s reconstruction have made only limited progress.

Israel has expanded its control in the Strip amid the ceasefire, from an initial 53% to around 63% currently. The IDF also now maintains some 40 army posts in the Israeli-held portion of the Strip.