The October Council held a press conference ahead of the 1,000th day since the October 7 massacre, urging Israelis to demand an independent state commission of inquiry. Bereaved families, relatives of hostages and survivors announced nationwide memorials, a minute of silence at 10:00 a.m., the Thousand Days March and a central rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. Speakers cited delays and failures — including the 760-day return of one captive — and accused security leadership of attempting to obscure what happened. The council called on citizens to wear black, attend events and press the government for transparency and accountability.
1,000 Days Since October 7: Bereaved Families Demand State Commission of Inquiry as Nationwide Memorials Are Planned
A PRESS conference marking 1,000 days since the October 7 massacre, June 25, 2026. (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)
The October Council held a press conference on Thursday to mark the approach of the 1,000th day since the October 7 massacre, urging the Israeli public to demand the establishment of an independent state commission of inquiry into what speakers called the gravest failure in the country’s history. Bereaved families, relatives of hostages, survivors and family representatives attended and outlined nationwide plans for memorials, protests and testimonies.
Events Planned for the 1,000th Day
The organization representing bereaved families and former captives—long campaigning for a formal state inquiry—announced that dozens of memorials, protests and testimony events will take place across Israel on the 1,000th day. The focal events include:
SIGN FOR a press conference from the October Council marking 1,000 days since the October 7 massacre, June 26, 2026. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)
- A nationwide minute of silence at 10:00 a.m.
- The "Thousand Days March"
- A central rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, reactivated for a single day to mark the milestone
- Local memorials and testimony sessions in communities across the country
The October Council emphasized that the day should be treated as a national pause for remembrance and for demanding truth, not an ordinary protest day. Participants are being asked to wear black as a sign of mourning and solidarity.
Voices From Families
Eyal Eshel, father of surveillance soldier Roni Eshel, who was killed on October 7: “One thousand days since the surveillance soldiers saw, warned, and pleaded for people to listen to them, and 1,000 days since the State of Israel chose not to hear them. How is it possible that 1,000 days later, there is still no state commission of inquiry?”
Hagit Chen, mother of Staff Sergeant Itay Chen, whose body was returned after 760 days: “Itay fought bravely, was abandoned, kidnapped, and returned to us only after 760 days. If you did everything, why did it take 760 days to bring him back? And if you did everything, how have 1,000 days already passed and the Israeli government is still afraid of a state commission of inquiry?”
Itay's father: “Anyone who said ‘we will do everything’ and does not demand a state commission of inquiry did not do everything. Anyone who refuses today to commit to a state commission of inquiry is telling us that their seat is more important to them than the truth. Anyone who fears an investigation probably knows why.”
Inbar Goldstein, whose brother Nadav and his daughter Yam were killed, and whose sister-in-law was kidnapped with her three children: “How can we build strong and resilient walls when so much of the truth is still buried beneath the ruins? We are the generation of October 7, and the generation of October 7 does not leave its brothers and sisters behind — and not the truth either.”
Yuval Zaushnitzer, widow of Roy Chapel: “Don't say this is a struggle only for older people or for bereaved families. This is the country in which we want to raise our children. Roy took responsibility when the country needed him. Now we need to take responsibility when the truth needs us.”
Reut Recht Adry, mother of Ido Adry, a Shin Bet operative killed at the Nova music festival: “The head of the Shin Bet wants to erase the memory of the failure that led to my son’s death. Zini, you are using politics and the blood of my child and of ten heroic Shin Bet fighters who fell on October 7 to serve the prime minister's agenda of abandonment and forgetting. You will not erase our children's blood.”
Why They Demand an Inquiry
Family representatives warned that without an independent state commission of inquiry, public confidence in official accounts and leaders’ promises to “do everything” will remain deeply undermined. They say only a formal, independent investigation can clarify the decisions and oversights that preceded October 7, provide accountability and help prevent future failures.
The October Council urged all citizens to attend local memorials and protests, observe the minute of silence at 10:00 a.m., join the Thousand Days March and the central rally at Hostages Square, and wear black on the 1,000th day as a sign of collective mourning and a demand for truth.
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