All my iCloud pictures from before November 2023 just disappeared

I have been paying Apple for more than 6 years for additional iCloud storage.

I noticed recently that all my pictures from before November 2023 just disappeared.

Having gone through multiple Apple iphones, macbooks and ipads over all these years I know I never messed up the sync settings.

Also, this is the content that has been synced for years and should stay on icloud.

Having talked to two Apple advisors who have not been any help at all and giving the same “possible reason” they could go through including “you might have changed the device”, “you might have changed sync settings”, etc. were not at all helpful with the issue. They even suggested using an archive as a back up in my macbook!!! What’s really the point of paying for icloud if I need to keep syncing my phone to my macbook for backups!!??

If it was a sync issue all my photos should’ve disappeared and not just from a specific point in time especially when I hadn’t switched my phone since May 2023.

I am deeply disappointed.

Has anyone faced a similar problem? I no longer wish to pay for iCloud when my content is not secure.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]