Three years after October 7, survivors describe lasting trauma

Three years after Hamas-led attacks on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, survivors and former hostages say the trauma of that day remains a daily presence in their lives, even as the communities affected try to move forward.

Among those speaking about the lasting impact is Keith Siegel, who was held captive by Hamas in Gaza for 484 days. During his captivity, Siegel said he worked to memorize details of what happened to him: the places he was held, the dates he was moved, and the attacks and humiliations he endured or witnessed. He has said the exercise served two purposes. It gave him a way to track the passage of time while his circumstances offered few other markers, and it meant that, if he were freed, he could pass along information that might help Israeli forces locate and free other hostages still being held.

A community caught between rebuilding and remembering

Siegel's account reflects a broader pattern described among Israeli communities that were directly affected by the October 7 attacks. Survivors and relatives of those killed or taken captive describe being pulled in two directions: toward rebuilding homes, routines and communities that were shattered that day, and toward preserving the memory of friends and relatives who were lost.

Siegel is now free, but he has said that even with his body no longer in captivity, the memories he deliberately committed to recall during those 484 days have not loosened their hold on him. His experience is one of several accounts emerging around the third anniversary of the attacks, as affected communities continue to process their losses.

The anniversary comes as the broader consequences of the October 7 attacks and the conflict that followed continue to affect communities in the region.