Life in Israel One Year After The October 7 Hamas Attack: What Has Changed?

'Even if you want to forget a bit, you cannot forget', Israelis say, walking past the remains of public property seized by Hamas militants.

Following the October 7 incident, Israelis experienced bereavement for loved ones, anxiety attacks, survivor's guilt, and doubts about their ability to ever go back to their hometowns, which are still scarred from their experiences.

Following the attack, as many as 94,000 Israelis are still displaced, evacuated from their homes near the restive Gaza and Lebanon borders. Some 32,000 of them are still being put up in hotels across Israel, according to data from an internal Israeli government database.

Majority in Israel Feel Safe, but Not as Safe as Before Oct 7: Ten months into the Israel-Hamas conflict, 71% of Israelis said they felt secure going for nighttime walks alone in their neighbourhoods. This number is statistically unchanged from the 68% who said the same thing in the weeks following last October's attacks.

It's noteworthy that these data were gathered prior to the latest flare-up with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Tuesday's missile assaults on Israel by Iran.

More People Are Depressed:Israelis witnessed a substantial increase in tension, worry, and sadness. Since the World Poll started monitoring these metrics nearly two decades ago, no other nation has ever witnessed such a significant year-over-year increase in bad experiences.

Israelis United, Exude Less Faith in President: Israelis have never really been in favour of their national government. It is not a new phenomenon at all. As per a study, in 2024 too, over half of Israelis (53%) say they do not have confidence in their national government.

We Are Victims, Not Aggressors, Say Israelis:Israel's foreign minister accused the United Nations of reducing the accounts of sexual violence deployed during the October 7 attacks.

Referring to #FreePalestine hashtags on social media, several Israelis are angrier than ever before, claiming that the world has downplayed their sufferings.

Don’t Believe Army To Be Their Sole Saviour:More than 9,200 new gun licences were issued since Oct. 7, according to police, reflective of the fear and stress that people there have been under.

Preparing For Another War:Israelis are gradually marching toward their northern border, preparing themselves for a potential new war — with Hezbollah in Lebanon. For the unversed, the Iranian-backed group is more powerful and better armed than Hamas, possessing long-range missiles that could rip apart the nation.

Shrinking Confidence In Judicial System: In 2019, a whopping 64% of people exuded confidence in the courts vs 31% who had no faith in them. Five years later, Israelis are divided on the issue (46% have confidence; 45% do not).

United & More Close-Knitted Due To War: Yachad Nenatzeach!, Together We Will Win! Can be heard from the nooks and corners of Israel. Support for the war is widespread throughout the country despite empathy for Palestinians.

Resurgence Of The Two-State Solution:Several say that they are encouraged by increased discussion internationally of the need for a two-state solution: a state of Palestine alongside Israel. Also, several experts opine that the Israeli opposition to a Palestinian state is stronger than before Oct. 7.

Israelis’ Approval of US Leadership Falls:63 percent of Israelis approve of US leadership -- which, although sunken, is still higher than it has been at several points over the past two decades. This is an important point as the US has always been one of the strongest allies of Israel.

Might See Birth Of New Political Class:In one of the firsts, a new class of Israeli political leaders have been witnessed in strengthening society, since the October 7 Hamas attack. Citizens who otherwise would have never considered venturing into Israeli politics jumped into it with urgency.

What was the Hamas Attack:Hundreds of HAMAS fighters launched an unprecedented attack supported by rockets and armed drones, killing nearly 1,200 people and kidnapping at least 240 on October 7, 2023.

Those killed include not only Israelis, but citizens from the United States and more than 30 other countries—almost all with dual Israeli citizenship.

One Year Anniversary:Ahead of the anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack, Israel placed its forces on red alert on Saturday, after a military official said the country was preparing its retaliation for Iran's missile attack.

Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said, "We are prepared with increased forces in anticipation for this day", when there could be "attacks on the home front."

In the latest update, the Israeli military said it had killed around 440 Hezbollah fighters since Monday, in their ground operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.