How October 7th Changed Everything

This story appears in Today’s Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you catch up on the day’s most compelling news and stories. Subscribe here.

Jewish communities in Israel and around the world are currently marking the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 people and sparked the Gaza war.

Tributes were held for the victims of the attack at homes, on highways and at the Nova Music Festival. In Tel Aviv, there is a large art installation on Trumpeldor beach commemorating the victims and the 251 hostages taken by Hamas three years ago.

166 of the hostages have survived, and the remains of the last deceased prisoner were released to Israel in January. But the national trauma caused by the attack on October 7, the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, and the brutal Israeli reprisals that followed cannot be erased.

These events profoundly changed Israel, Gaza, the broader Middle East, and the United States, and continue to influence global and domestic politics. Today, we look at the long-lasting shadow of the October 7 attack and Israel’s response to it.

Two years ago, Vox’s Zack Beauchamp, writing about the one-year anniversary on October 7, warned that the “horror” initially sparked by the attacks would continue to unfold in tragic and unforeseen ways. “Events that seemed limited to the Middle East have begun to hurt people around the world in ways we may not yet fully understand or even predict,” he wrote.

Admittedly, the damage has been most severe in Gaza, where three years of war have reduced the entire city to rubble. Since October 2023, Israeli military operations have killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilians. Most of Gaza’s 2 million residents have also been displaced, crowded into makeshift shelters and refugee camps, suffering from hunger and disease.

But the consequences of October 7 extend beyond Gaza. Settler violence against Palestinians has intensified in the occupied West Bank. The ensuing conflict also weakened Iran and changed the balance of power across the Middle East.

That’s because Iran has long relied on its allies, such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, to project power and deter attacks by its long-time rival Israel. After October 7, however, Israel significantly weakened both groups, leaving Iran vulnerable and setting the stage for direct strikes against Iran that Israel and the United States began last winter.

Both the Iran war and the ongoing occupation of Gaza have seriously damaged Israel’s international image. A Pew survey last spring of 36 countries showed that 67% of adults had a negative view of Israel. The dissatisfaction has also translated into a diplomatic shift: 155 countries – including long-term allies of Israel such as Britain, Canada and Australia – now officially recognize Palestinian statehood, up from 136 before the war. This doesn’t change much on the ground, but it represents a real condemnation of Israel.

Meanwhile, in the United States, Israel has become a huge flashpoint in domestic politics. Although more than half of Americans had a favorable view of the country before October 7, sentiment worsened sharply in 2025 and 2026, especially on the left.

The issue could help decide some key midterm elections, such as Michigan’s Senate race, where Democrat Abdul-Sayed has called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. The policy is supported by nearly half of House Democrats and many potential presidential candidates.

However, cutting off U.S. aid to Israel is unlikely to change the country’s stance toward the Palestinians. (Israel itself is a wealthy country, and U.S. aid accounts for only a small portion of its budget.) Instead, changing Israeli policy toward Gaza and the West Bank will likely require more aggressive pressure—the kind of pressure the U.S. is unlikely to exert even in the current political climate.

A single day can unleash a cascade of hurt and terror. But ending them will take more time.

➨ Cultivate hope. Staying optimistic in the face of current events can feel difficult (not to mention: naive, pointless, and exhausting). So Jamil Zaki, professor of psychology and director of the Social Neuroscience Laboratory at Stanford University, proposes another strategy: Ditch the Pollyanna and embrace hope—believe in the future Can The results are great but require real care and attention.