Gaza three years on: ‘a grim milestone’

Israelis and Palestinians to mark three years since October 7 Hamas attack and beginning of the Gaza genocide

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During the attack, 1,221 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Israel’s subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip has killed at least 74,237 Palestinians, including more than 20,000 children, and wounded around 175,000.

Since a so-called ceasefire agreement took effect on October 10 2025, at least 1,454 Palestinians have been killed and another 5,090 have been injured by the Israelis. Israel has also escalated ethnic cleansing across the occupied West Bank.

Global hunger watchdog the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification says more than 1.2 million people face acute hunger in Gaza.

Stop the War convener Lindsey German told the Morning Star: “Three years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza is a grim milestone.”

But, she added, “we finally see a shift in the British government’s position — undoubtedly a victory for the Palestine movement.”

Referring to planned protests on Saturday, Ms German said it was “the first time we have seen a truly global co-ordination of protests for Palestine — from the Netherlands to Nigeria, South Africa to South Korea, and London to Lima.”

Independent MP for Islington North Jeremy Corbyn said: “Three years ago, we warned that Israel was embarking upon the total annihilation of the Palestinian people in Gaza. We were ignored and smeared, while the British government armed a genocide as it was live-streamed around the world.

“Today, politicians are pretending they have always been opposed to the war crimes they supported and facilitated. Too little, too late. We have been witnessing a genocide — and Britain’s complicity can never, ever be forgotten.

“Three years on, I’m calling for Andy Burnham to finally call Israel’s destruction of Gaza what it is: a genocide.

“He should say: Today, as of now, I am ending all military co-operation with Israel. And he should finally heed my long-standing demand for a full, public inquiry into Britain’s continued involvement.”

Ms German pointed out that on Ukraine, Iran and hikes in arms spending “there remains no difference between Mr Burnham and his predecessor,” adding that it was vital to “link the Palestine campaign to one against all these fundamentally wrong foreign policy priorities.”

Mr Corbyn said: “In the near future, our history books will shame those in our government who enabled one of the greatest crimes of our time. Britain is involved in acts of genocide.”

“Stop it, change it and shut the arms supply to Israel,” he added.

Director of the Tricontinental Centre for Social Research Vijay Prashad said the context for the events of the last three years is that “the Palestinians have been occupied for decades and live in a condition of apartheid and ruin.

“What followed from Israel is a continuation of the past decades but with greater ruthlessness.”

Mr Prashad added: “An occupied people has a right to resist by international law. And they have a right to emancipation.”

There have been renewed calls for a genuine and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

South African Communist Party general secretary Solly Afrika Mapaila said his party saw October 7 as “a reminder that the struggles of working people and oppressed peoples are interconnected. Capital and imperialism operate across borders; so must working-class solidarity.”

He said: “From Palestine to South Africa, from Cuba and Venezuela to Africa and the wider Global South, we reaffirm the principle that the liberation of one people strengthens the liberation of all.”

Secretary-general of the United Nations Antonio Guterres condemned the events of October 7 as an “abhorrent, large-scale terror attack,” adding that “nothing can justify these atrocities.”

The UN chief said he had met Israeli families whose lives were shattered by the October 7 attack and survivors who continue to suffer from “deep physical and emotional scars.”

He also highlighted the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza during the Israeli invasion that followed.

Mr Guterres said the current ceasefire had brought some relief but had not yet provided lasting security, sufficient humanitarian assistance or a credible path toward recovery and peace.

He urged all parties to fully implement their commitments and move to the next phase of the ceasefire.

He added: “Let this anniversary mark not only another year of mourning, but also a renewed determination to build a different future,” as he called for a future in which Israelis and Palestinians can live together with their “rights, dignity and aspirations fulfilled.”

Meanwhile, Israeli families mourn their lost ones while commemorating the events of October 7.

The Israelis have imposed a general closure on the West Bank and closed crossings into the Gaza Strip from Monday.

The Co-ordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (Cogat) said the closure followed a security assessment and a decision by the Defence Minister Israel Katz.

Mr Katz said the instruction came “in light of intelligence regarding Hamas’s intentions to attempt to carry out attacks and terror operations against our forces in Gaza on that day.”

“If, heaven forbid, our forces are harmed, the ones who will pay the heavy price will be Hamas and the population of Gaza — beyond all proportion,” the statement added, in an open threat to civilians.

On Monday, during a state ceremony to commemorate the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue targeting anyone who was involved in the attack or who held hostages.

Plans by US President Donald Trump supposedly designed to end the Gaza war have stalled, with Israel mounting near daily attacks and occupying around two-thirds of the shattered enclave, where Palestinians face dire conditions.

The initial plans called for a ceasefire on October 10 2025, the release of the last remaining hostages seized by Hamas, freedom for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel and a surge in aid.

The Israelis have continued military operations in Gaza and have failed to allow the agreed levels of aid to reach Palestinians.

Other goals, including disarming Hamas, securing Israeli withdrawal and rebuilding Gaza, also appear out of reach.

Later phases foresaw Hamas disarming and new governance by a Palestinian body overseen by the Trump-led so-called Board of Peace. Israel would gradually withdraw, handing territory to a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF).

“Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough,” the plan said.

The Board of Peace unveiled a $2.45 billion (£1.83bn) plan in September to begin the “redevelopment” of Gaza.

Previous estimates by the European Union and the UN released in April estimated the plan would need $71.4bn (£53bn) over the next decade.

Critics of the board insist it relies on the mass removal of Palestinians through “voluntary emigration.” Some say this could amount to ethnic cleansing, a crime against humanity.

Mr Katz said last month there was “no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration.”

Israel will hold a general election on October 27, the country’s first since the October 7 attack.

Polls show pro- and anti-Netanyahu parties in a tight race.

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