Israel paused at 6:29 a.m. Wednesday, the exact minute the Hamas-led attack began three years ago. Ceremonies and protests were planned at more than 400 places, CNN reported.

On Oct. 7, 2023, gunmen stormed towns along the Gaza border. They killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. At the Nova music festival site near Re'im, more than 370 people were killed and 44 were taken, CNN said. It was the deadliest day in Israel's history.

In Tel Aviv, protesters blocked the Ayalon Highway at 6:29 and held up a banner that read "The people will remember their sons and daughters," Ynet reported. In Kfar Aza, a hard-hit kibbutz, the flag was lowered to half-staff. President Isaac Herzog lit a memorial candle in Jerusalem. More events were set for noon, and Herzog planned to visit border towns in the afternoon.

The day's biggest event, a national memorial run by victims' families, opened Wednesday night at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv at 9:15 p.m. Israel time, or 2:15 p.m. ET. Most of Israel's main TV channels carried it live, The Times of Israel reported. Israel's Channel 13 said about 50,000 people filled the park and that all tickets sold out. It is the first time the ceremony has been held with no hostages left in Gaza, Channel 13 said. Former hostage Eli Sharabi and actress Shani Cohen are the hosts. Sharabi's wife and two daughters were killed in Kibbutz Be'eri, and his brother died in captivity. Israel held its official state memorials on Monday, at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.

Much of the day is about anger as well as grief. Many families want a state commission of inquiry. That is Israel's strongest kind of independent probe. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted it for three years, CNN reported. The issue now sits at the center of the Oct. 27 election. Rival Gadi Eisenkot, whose son was killed in Gaza, called the attack "a very deep failure."

In Gaza, a U.S.-brokered ceasefire reached a year ago has stalled, and Israeli strikes come almost daily, CNN said. Gaza's Health Ministry says more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. Netanyahu said this week Israel had killed 4,000 of the 6,000 militants who crossed into Israel that day.

Israel closed the Gaza crossings on Monday and again Wednesday for the anniversary, the military's aid agency, COGAT, said. No new aid enters on those days. COGAT says the closures will not hurt the humanitarian situation.

What we know: Israel marked the day with ceremonies, protests, a closure of Gaza crossings and a large memorial in Tel Aviv.
What we don't: Whether the anniversary will push the government toward a state inquiry before the election.