France

Paris, October 7, 2026. Three years after the Hamas attack, the French press links the Israeli commemoration to the October 27 election. France 24 believes that these legislative elections "take on the appearance of a plebiscite - or a vote of no confidence" on Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the security catastrophe. According to an AFP count, 1,221 people were killed on October 7, 2023, and 251 were taken hostage, including 44 who have already died. The Israeli offensive in Gaza has caused more than 74,200 deaths, according to the territory's Ministry of Health, which the UN considers reliable, Le Monde recalls.

On Wednesday, a minute of silence was observed at 6:29 am at the Nova festival site and at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where 64 residents were killed and 18 were taken hostage. The ceremonies are being held under increased alert, a week after a suspected attempted attack on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, according to Sud Ouest. Israeli strikes have killed at least two people in Gaza, France 24 reports.

The dominant theme is the responsibility of the Prime Minister. On Monday, October 5, during an official ceremony, a grieving father shouted at him: "You failed to protect my son on October 7. Shame on you!" RFI and France 24 return to the Haaretz investigation published on September 8: the Emirati president allegedly warned Netanyahu about ten days before the attack. Sud Ouest adds that, according to Haaretz, he did not pass on the alert to the security services, which he categorically denied. France 24 notes, however, that his electoral base remains solid.

In Sderot, RFI collects testimonies of a shift to the right: a resident says she has left the left. Le Monde publishes an op-ed on a society "walled in a deep trauma" and an interview with sociologist Alain Dieckhoff, who believes Israel is "strongly isolated" on the international stage.

The national prism is also present. Jean-Noël Barrot traveled to Israel to pay tribute to the victims, including 51 French nationals. In Paris, the police prefect banned, at the request of Laurent Nuñez, a demonstration by Urgence Palestine, citing a "high terrorist threat" and anti-Semitic acts at a historically high level; the collective denounces "political censorship" and appeals to the administrative court. In Strasbourg, Euro MP Rima Hassan is being questioned for removing an Israeli flag from an exhibition on October 7.