Israelis, scarred and battling on multiple fronts, mark a year since Oct. 7
Israelis were holding vigils and somber ceremonies on Monday to mark a year since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, the deadliest in the country's history, which sparked the war in Gaza and scarred Israelis indelibly.
The surprise cross-border attack, which caught Israel unprepared on a major Jewish holiday, shattered Israelis' sense of security and shook their faith in their leaders and their military.
Its aftershocks still ripple one year later. The war in Gaza rages on and Israel is fighting a new war against Hezbollah, which began attacking Israel on Oct. 8. There is also an escalating conflict with Iran — which backs both Hamas and Hezbollah — that threatens to drag the region into a far more dangerous conflagration.
And on Monday, Hamas showed that it was still putting up a fight. It launched rockets that set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv, as well as closer to the Gaza border.
In Gaza, which is still buckling under the weight of the ongoing war, no formal commemorative event is planned. The massive destruction and displacement are a constant reminder of the retaliatory Israeli assault on the territory, which has no end in sight.
Israelis were flocking to ceremonies, cemeteries and memorial sites around the country.
The flags at the Israeli Knesset were lowered to half-staff and an official state ceremony focusing on acts of bravery and hope is set to be aired on Monday evening. The ceremony was prerecorded without an audience — apparently to avoid potential disruptions — in the southern city of Ofakim.
But anger at the government's failure to prevent the attack and enduring frustration that it has not returned the remaining hostages prompted the families of those killed and taken captive to hold a separate event in Tel Aviv.
That event had been set to draw tens of thousands of people but was scaled back drastically over prohibitions on large gatherings due to the threat of missile attacks from Iran and Hezbollah.
For the dozens of hostages still in captivity, there is no end in sight to their struggle. Border communities have been upended and tens of thousands were displaced. Soldiers are being killed in Gaza and Lebanon. Israel faces ongoing international criticism over its wartime conduct, with two world courts examining its actions.
The war in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, displaced most of the territory's 2.3 million population and sparked a humanitarian crisis that has led to widespread hunger. It has also left the tiny coastal enclave ravaged beyond recognition as U.S.-led cease-fire efforts have repeatedly sputtered.
- Macron says pain ‘as vivid as it was a year ago’ -
French President Emmanuel Macron took to social media on Monday to mark the one-year anniversary since Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“The pain remains, as vivid as it was a year ago. The pain of the Israeli people. Ours. The pain of wounded humanity,” Macron said on X. “We do not forget the victims, the hostages, or the families with broken hearts from absence or waiting. I send them our fraternal thoughts.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was in Israel for the anniversary and attended a memorial service at the site of the Nova music festival where hundreds were killed in Hamas’ attack.
Barrot, talking to the families of victims, pledged France’s support in the face of “the worst anti-Semitic massacre in our history since the Holocaust.”
“The joyful dawn of what should have been a day of celebration was suddenly torn apart by unspeakable horror,” he said. “France mourns alongside Israel our 48 compatriots victims of barbarism.”
Barrot, who is expected to speak with his counterpart Israel Katz later Monday, said that Macron will also meet in Paris with family members of Israelis held hostage today.
- Japan concerned about civilian casualties -
Japan has expressed its condolences to families of victims on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and demanded the immediate release of hostages.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Monday that Japan is seriously concerned about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip amid continued fighting, the large number of civilian casualties and the ongoing security threats to both Israeli and Palestinian people.
“Japan continues to urge all parties including Israel to comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, and strongly urges them to steadily work toward realization of a cease-fire,” Hayashi said.
He added that Japan strongly supports mediation efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar in achieving negotiations for the release of the hostages and a cease-fire.
- Australian PM Albanese condemns attack -
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement Monday that the day carried “terrible pain” and his government “unequivocally” condemned Hamas' attack on Israel a year ago.
Albanese said that since the attack, Jewish Australians have “felt the cold shadows of antisemitism reaching into the present day — and as a nation we say never again.”
“We unequivocally condemn all prejudice and hatred. There is no place in Australia for discrimination against people of any faith,” Albanese said.
He added that “every innocent life matters” and the number of civilians killed in the conflict was “a devastating tragedy.”
“Today we reflect on the truth of our shared humanity, of the hope that peace is possible, and the belief that it belongs to all people,” Albanese said.
- Pope slams 'shameful' failure of diplomacy -
Pope Francis on Monday slammed the "shameful inability" of world powers to end the conflict in the Middle East, on the first anniversary of Hamas's deadly October 7 attack on Israel.
"A year ago, the fuse of hatred was lit; it did not sputter, but exploded in a spiral of violence, in the shameful inability of the international community and the most powerful countries to silence the weapons and put an end to the tragedy of war," he said in an open letter to Catholics in the Middle East.
- Meloni visits Rome synagogue -
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who has voiced strong support for Israel, commemorated the Oct. 7 anniversary by visiting the main synagogue in Rome and reaffirming Israel’s right to "defend itself."
Meloni also denounced the “latent and rampant antisemitism” that has arisen in the year since the Hamas attacks, citing in particular pro-Palestinian protests in Italy over the weekend, some of which turned violent.
While asserting Israel’s lights to live safely within its borders, she insisted that it respect international law and lamented the devastation unleashed by Israeli forces in Gaza. She said Palestinians in Gaza had been “victims twice over: first of Hamas’ cynicism, which uses them as human shields, and then of Israeli military operations.”
As the current president of the Group of Seven, Italy will continue to work for an immediate cease-fire, “the release of Israeli hostages and the stabilization of the Israeli-Lebanese border through the full implementation of U.N. resolutions,” Meloni said.
Since coming to office in 2022, Meloni has taken several initiatives to show her strong support for Italy’s Jewish community and Israel. Her Brothers of Italy party has roots in the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement, or MSI, which was founded in 1946 by sympathizers of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
- Swedish, Czech PMs condemn attack -
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Monday that Hamas' attack on Israel a year ago was “the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust was committed.”
Kristersson said the attack also “led to an escalated conflict in the Middle East that is still ongoing, with tens of thousands of civilian casualties and enormous suffering.”
Kristersson called for a cease-fire and the release of hostages, a de-escalation in the region and an increased humanitarian access.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala reiterated his country’s support for Israel on the anniversary of the attack by Hamas.
“A few days ago, Israel was attacked again by Iran. Again, unfortunately, anti-Semitism in various forms is also on the rise,” Fiala wrote on X.
“Tensions in the Middle East bring suffering to many people. However, terrorist organizations will not bring peace and a dignified life to people there. Israel defends its existence, it is repeatedly attacked and must have the right to defend itself. Therefore, on the day of this tragic anniversary, I repeat: The Czech Republic stands by Israel!”
- Erdogan says Israel will pay price for 'genocide' -
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas' attack to condemn Israel's military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.
“Today, I remember with sorrow the tens of thousands of people that the murderous Israeli government has massacred since Oct. 7,” Erdogan said in a message posted on X. “I convey my most heartfelt condolences to my brothers from Gaza, Palestine, and Lebanon.”
An outspoken critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza and more recently the war on Lebanon, Erdogan said: “Israel’s long-standing policy of genocide, occupation, and invasion must finally come to an end.”
He has praised Hamas previously as a “liberation group.” Erdogan on Monday made no mention of the Oct. 7 Hamas' attack.
“Israel will sooner or later pay the price for this genocide, which it has been implementing for a year and which is still continuing,” Erdogan wrote. “Just as Hitler was stopped by a joint alliance of humanity, (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his killer network will be stopped in the same way.”
