In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the far-right finance minister said that the attack was 'a grace from God, delivering a painful, severe slap, a great disaster with terrible consequences. This slap woke us up after many years of complacency'

Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with Kushner's wife Ivanka Trump, spoke at the rally as a hostage's father said police estimated some 500,000 Israelis had gathered. Families expecting their loved ones to be released by Monday said 'the fight is not over' until all 48 hostages are home

The New York Times also published intercepted messages from Hamas commanders on October 7, ordering militants to take hostages and broadcast the attacks to rally Arab support. While the memo did not explicitly mention killing or abducting Israelis, it instructed militants to set neighborhoods ablaze and film the atrocities to sow fear and destabilize Israel