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Photo by: Flash90, Reuters and social media

1,000 Days Past Oct. 7: How Israel Reshaped The Middle East

Asaf Nissan

By: C14 Desk

Editor: Asaf Nissan

17 Tammuz 5786 (02.07.26)

Nearly three years into the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 massacre, Israel has racked up major military wins—eliminating terror leaders, degrading Iran's proxies, and shifting the regional balance of power—even as reconstruction and hostage crises continue.


A thousand days have passed since the October 7, 2023 terror attack that plunged Israel into its longest and most complex war. Alongside the heavy toll in lives lost, wounded soldiers, and economic damage, the campaign has produced a series of major achievements that reshaped Israel’s security reality and the regional balance of power.

קיבוץ נירים לאחר טבח השבעה באוקטובר | צילום: יוסי אלוני, פלאש90
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Kibbutz Nirim after the Oct. 7 massacre | photo by: Yossi Aloni/Flash90
Gazan terrorists standing on top of a tank on the Gaza border, October 7, 2023 | photo by: Flash90
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Gazan terrorists standing on top of a tank on the Gaza border, October 7, 2023 | photo by: Flash90

On the military front, Israel dealt significant blows to terror organizations’ capabilities. Over months of fighting, thousands of terrorists were killed, including senior Hamas and Hezbollah commanders. Extensive terror infrastructure was destroyed, attack tunnels neutralized, command centers dismantled, and rocket and missile production and launch capabilities sharply reduced. At the same time, the IDF expanded its freedom of operation across multiple fronts and developed new combat methods adapted to the multi-arena reality.

Israel also achieved a major shift vis-à-vis Iran. During this period, Israel—working closely with the United States and its allies—acted against Iranian attempts to strengthen its regional proxies. Alongside military and intelligence operations, Israel confronted Iran directly, an event considered a strategic turning point in the Middle East.

Israeli attack on a building in Beirut, archive footage | photo by: Reuters
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Israeli attack on a building in Beirut, archive footage | photo by: Reuters
תקיפות באיראן, מבצע "שאגת הארי"תקיפה במפקדת משמרות המהפכה, סמוך לטהרן | צילום: רשתות ערביות
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An attack of the IRGC command base, next to Tehran | photo by: Arab media
Israeli Air Foces planes during operation "Lion's Roar" | photo by: IDF Spokespersons Unit
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Israeli Air Foces planes during operation “Lion’s Roar” | photo by: IDF Spokespersons Unit

On the northern border, Hezbollah’s leadership was significantly degraded, and Israel pushed the threat back from its border through sustained operations in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, in Judea and Samaria, hundreds of attacks were thwarted through continuous intelligence and operational activity by security forces.

חמינאי, נסראללה וסינוואר | צילום: רויטרס, שרטרסטוק
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Ali Khamenei, Hassan Nasrallah and Yehya Sinwar | Photo by: Reuters, Shutterstock

In defense technology, the war accelerated new developments in drones, artificial intelligence, defense systems, intelligence, and battlefield command and control. The Defense Ministry significantly expanded cooperation with startups, and hundreds of new defense ventures were advanced to apply the war’s lessons and strengthen Israel’s qualitative edge.

Israeli society also demonstrated massive mobilization capacity. Hundreds of thousands of reservists were called up for extended periods, thousands of volunteer organizations sprang up to support soldiers, evacuee families, and the wounded, and the Israeli economy maintained operational continuity despite the ongoing fighting.

לוחם יוצא למילואים | צילום: חיים גולדברג, פלאש 90
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An IDF reservist leaving his home | photo by: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90
צה״ל נערך לקלוט משרתי מילואים | צילום: דו"צ
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Saluting our soldiers | photo by: IDF Spokespersons Unit

Still, even after a thousand days, the war has left significant challenges. Reconstruction of southern and northern communities continues, bereaved families and war wounded are still grappling with its aftermath, and many security and regional issues have yet to reach full resolution.

The IDF this week marked the thousand-day milestone, with the Chief of Staff defining the period as a “significant strategic juncture” for Israel and emphasizing that the war changed combat doctrines and how the IDF will build its future force. “We won in every sector,” he said, highlighting the IDF’s achievements in the multi-arena campaign and the shift in security reality since October 7.