Israel marks one year anniversary of Hamas attacks as Middle East war rages

Monday, October 07, 2024 - Thousands of people gathered over the weekend for the first emotional commemorations marking the anniversary of Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The October 7 attack resulted in the d£ath of 1,205 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages killed in captivity.

Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,870 people in the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the territory's health ministry and described as reliable by the United Nations. It has also resulted in military offensives against Hezbollah and a possible attack on Iran after Israel was attacked by 200 ballistic misiles from Iran last week.

The first candlelight vigils, memorials and marches to mark the anniversary were held in cities ranging from Tel Aviv to London, Paris and Berlin.

In Tel Aviv, friends and relatives of the 370 people killed in the massacre at the Nova dance festival held a candlelight vigil Sunday evening at a concert hall.

In London, thousands gathered in Hyde Park, waving Israeli flags and "bring them home" placards with faces of the hostages still held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

Photos of those killed on October 7 were shown on a big screen as attendees lit candles in their honour.

"We want to remember the people who have been brutally murdered and we want the world to remember," Henry Grunwald, chair of the organising committee, told AFP.

Mandy Damari, whose daughter Emily was one of the 251 people taken hostage by Hamas, said her daughter was "full of life".

"I need to hug her again and I need to see her smile", she said, on the verge of tears.

In Berlin, around 650 people attended a commemoration on Saturday. Police said they had detained 26 people who shouted insults at participants.

In Paris, thousands of people gathered on Sunday to remember the victims of the attack.

"We're here in support of Israel, the Israeli people, in memory of those who were killed and for those who were kidnapped" that day, Robert Zbili, the president of the National Jewish Fund, told AFP.

The president of Israel (pictured below) who attended the scene of the attack, said the country is "still in pain" a year on from the 7 October Hamas attacks.

In a statement before he set off on his three-day commemoration tour, Isaac Herzog said: "A year has passed since life came to a halt, the skies darkened, and all of us witnessed the monstrous cruelty of the enemy that sought to bring destruction upon the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and Israeli society.

"We are all still in pain, and we seek to make space for national mourning, for the tears over the terrible disaster that struck us."

He also pledged to "rebuild and restore" Israel, saying that work will not be complete until all hostages are freed from Hamas.

In a video message, Israel's ambassador to the UN, Daniel Meron, called on the UN "to for once condemn Hamas in writing in one resolution".

The build-up to the anniversary has been marked by soaring tension, with fears the ongoing conflict could spiral into a wider war.

In a statement late Sunday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "One year on from these horrific attacks we must unequivocally stand with the Jewish community and unite as a country.

"We must never look the other way in the face of hate."

He also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, and for a free flow of aid into Gaza.

"We must also not look the other way as civilians bear the ongoing dire consequences of this conflict in the Middle East."