Reflections On October 7th: 3 Years On & Counting
It’s 3 years since that ominous and hugely fatal day – the day that changed everything. And also, the day that changed, possibly, nothing. Nothing for the over 2 million people who inhabit Gaza – an open air prison for all practical purposes. And it was also the day that possibly changed everything for the rest of the world. One thing’s for sure, you couldn’t sit this one out, ever. And that’s the message October 7th 2023 and its aftermath gave to the world. You are either FOR Palestine, or not. There’s no middle road.
And when we take stock of how the events of October 7th 2023 have changed the plight of the people who were right at the centre of it all, perhaps, nothing? Perhaps, everything? What we do know is that: 3 years on, and the world is still divided on which side of the conflict we stand – for or against.
Here’s what has changed though
- Gaza is now home to the highest number of child amputees per capita worldwide, estimayed at 4,000 and counting
- 129 members of the press were killed in conflict or more in just 2025, the highest number ever documented since records have been kept 3 decades ago.
- 4,000 pregnancy losses have been reported in the first 6 months of 2026. With 50,000 pregnancies in Gaza, this is 3 times higher than the prior 6 months
- 3,000 children still suffer from acute malnutrition in Gaza hospitals. For some, the damage may be permanent: stunting can affect a child’s brain development, learning ability and future health for the rest of their lives
To the world, the plight of Gazans remains the same, if not worse. To Gazans, their plight remains the same if not worse. But beyond the statistics, there is a greater shift. One we hadn’t planned for. And one that hopefully, ushers in change, if only it could be louder, bigger, and faster in the next 3 years than in the last 3.
While skeptics argue, and possibly rightly so, that much of what is happening inside Gaza stays the same, but what can’t be denied is that the world view of Israel and its partners has shifted, and perhaps, forever. Not voluntarily, but forcibly, organically, unexpectedly. As public shows of support for the plight of Gazans took on a wave-like activisim that spanned the campuses of American universities, to the streets of France, on social media walls and in concert arenas, football fields and yes, even our chosen fast-food restaurants and the coffee we sip, the world experienced an overnight shift in perspectives, preferences and call to actively disassociate with brands, labels and public personalities that failed to not just whisper, but call out loud, the two most controversial words in the past 3 years – Free Palestine.
What we witnessed online and in person, on crowded streets, live talkshows and podcasts, was a call to action that became larger than any planned movement we had witnessed in a long time. Governments around the world were pushed to act and even realign their election campaign manifestos according to public opinion and voter trends, public personalities were pressed to voice their opinion, every conversation had to be a ‘for or against’ vote – nothing less. And while a lot remains the same, a lot has certainly changed.
The world is a different place in 2026
When the history of the world will be written from 2023 to 2026 and beyond, there will be a pre-October 7th and a post. And in the post October 7th era, no one was allowed to sit on the fence. Arts, sports, politics, the clothes we shop, the coffee we sip and the artists we listen to, the public personalities we follow or criticize are very much part of our political conscience. October 7th and the events that came after have politicized our daily choices. Concert arenas, football fields and even our Instagram profiles represent where we stand on the Palestine vs. Israel debate. That’s how non-neutral the world is today. And that’s the change that happened after October 7th 2023.
And you ask if anything has changed?
Recent case in point, Ed Sheeran vs. Macklemore. In a pre-October 7th world, Macklemore might still have been side-lined from a world tour when he used his moment on stage to shout out ‘Free Palestine’. But in that world, he might not have even shouted out these two words. And even if he did, and even if he was side-lined from the tour, Ed Sheeran’s band of 10 years Beoga, might not have backed out of the tour in soldarity with Macklemore. And even if they did, Ed Sheeran’s supporting acts from the Loop Tour might not have backed out. And even if they did, he might not have been called out as widely as he was from netizens and public personalities alike for not taking a stronger stand on Palestine.
Post October 7th 2023, no one could sit on the fence anymore. The bigger the personality, the bigger the outrage for not supporting a cause that suddenly started mattering, even to those it didn’t previously. And it was Palestine. This public outrage could change fortunes. Just like that, with two words, uttered or banned from a platform that broadcasts live to millions – Free Palestine. And it worked.
So if we say nothing has changed for the people of Gaza, perhaps we are right. But we can also say that everything has changed for the world.
Public opinion can sway where the wind blows. Those in power know they must tread wisely. And if anything, the public now knows for sure what they might have doubted pre-October 7th – that their opinion matters. Perhaps that’s the biggest post-October 7th revelation of all!
The question past 2026 is perhaps: What will guide us as a humanity who speaks of freedom, justice and peace. Will we be powerful enough to help a nation regain their freedom? To help the next generation of Gazans live under a free sky and walk a road that belongs to them – will the children of Gaza be allowed to do just that, just like the children of the rest of the free world? The times are hard still and there’s no kidding ourselves, the job’s far from over.
Looking at where we are vs. where we were 3 years ago might make it seem like we have achieved monumental change. But an entire region is still in conflict – from Gaza to Iran, the Strait of Hormutz and beyond – and now, the world. And the deed is not done yet. After raising our voice on social media and protesting on the streets, we now pay with higher fuel costs and harsher economic times.
And perhaps this is justice served – the price we pay for staying quiet for all those years on the plight of the Palestinians. Perhaps the war in Gaza is not just a test for the people who live there but more for all of us, the free world, for not fighting hard enough, long enough, to help them gain the freedom that every human being, every child deserves on this planet.
It’s either this or a plain and simple truth we failed to understand all along. Perhaps the UN Charter of Human Rights, signed by the countries who aid and abet the aggressor today and hinder the freedoms of an entire nation – over 2 million people in Gaza, came with a fine print we missed – it failed to recognize the people of Gaza.
It’s either this or, we must admit that 3 years on, nothing has changed – ‘Free Palestine’ is still a 4-letter word and those who dare to utter it need to know they stand for the people of Gaza, still alone, still not free, and still dying.
Sources:
United Nations Population Fund, Commitee to Protect Journalists, UNWRA
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According to a report in 2025 Gaza is now home to the highest number of child amputees per capita worldwide, estimated at up to 4,000 since the war began. About 129 members of the press were killed in the conflict, the highest ever number documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) since the organization started keeping records more than three decades ago. The United Nations Population Fund reports around 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza and up to 180 births every day. With a huge lack of quality maternity care, the first six months of 2026 witnessed nearly 4,000 pregnancy losses – three times higher than in the prior six months.