ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN) on Tuesday marked the third anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack at UN headquarters in New York at an event that brought together US officials, diplomats, survivors and a former hostage, while several expected representatives were absent.
The gathering centered on testimony from people who survived the October 7, 2023 attack and captivity in Gaza, when Hamas-led fighters launched a surprise attack from Gaza into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage, according to Reuters.
The event also highlighted international divisions over the attack and the war that followed.The US, Russia and the UK were present, while China and France did not send representatives.
Rudaw’s Namo Abdulla contacted the French and Chinese missions for comment but had not received responses by the time of publication.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz highlighted what he called the “expanding” Abraham Accords, pointing to growing cooperation between Israel and Arab countries. He said “Israelis and Arabs are standing shoulder to shoulder to defend the region from Iranian attacks.”
UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, which normalized relations with Israel under US-brokered Abraham Accords arrangements, did not send representatives to the event.
Former hostages Eliya Cohen and Nova festival survivor Ziv Abud were guests at the event.
Cohen, who spent 505 days in Hamas captivity, recounted his experience as a hostage, saying, “They put a lot of LEDs in the wall because they didn't want us to go to sleep.” Cohen described repeated intimidation by his captors.
Television personality Dr. Phil McGraw moderated their discussion. Cohen and Abud were both at the Nova music festival when Hamas-led gunmen attacked on October 7. Cohen was abducted and taken to Gaza, while Abud survived the attack.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric filled in for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was on an official visit to Pakistan. Guterres’ message condemned the October 7 attack while also highlighting the suffering caused by the war in Gaza.The UN said Guterres was in Pakistan on Tuesday, where he called for an end to the US-Iran Conflict.
“Three years since Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched an abhorrent large-scale terror attack on Israel,” Guterres said.
He said that more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed and 251 people were taken hostage.
Guterres said the hostilities that followed caused “massive loss of life, displacement and destruction” in Gaza and called for an end to the suffering of civilians. “Their suffering, too, demands an end, now,” he said.
An independent UN commission of inquiry in September 2025 concluded that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
“The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza,” Navi Pillay, Chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said. “It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”
Israel has categorically rejected the finding, describing the commission’s report as false and biased. Israel’s foreign ministry has said that the country remains committed to international law and minimizing harm to civilians while fighting Hamas.
The event ended with attendees standing in respect as the Israeli national anthem played.
