Comment: The failure and the consequences: A divided country mourns

October 7 marks the first anniversary of no Israeli hostages in captivity. Nevertheless, grief covers the country like a blanket. Even three years later, Israel has not come to terms with Hamas' terrorist attack.

Hamas murdered 1,195 people on October 7, 2023. They posted some of their crimes online, where ten million Israelis could watch as relatives, friends or acquaintances were killed or kidnapped. For most Israelis, this day is a day of personal mourning. It's questionable whether any society can handle something like that.

But there is a second reason: The day is remembered not only for the brutality of Hamas, but also as the failure of a security apparatus that is considered one of the best in the world and is supposed to protect the country from precisely such attacks. To this day, Israeli society is looking for someone to take responsibility for this. Vain.

Who Israelis blame almost determines who they vote for in the October 27 parliamentary election. Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters hold the military establishment responsible: for the negligent risk assessment and the slow reaction on the day itself.