One year on, Israel is still under fire while remembering October 7 victims

One year after the Hamas-led brutal attack on Israel, 100 hostages are still being kept by the terrorist organisation, and Israel is experiencing the heaviest rocket attacks amid widening war and fighting on seven fronts.

One year has passed since October 7, when approximately 3,000 heavily armed Hamas-led fighters invaded communities near the border in an unparalleled outbreak of violence. Some 1,200 people were killed, and 251 people were abducted – 97 of whom are still being kept hostage, with fewer than 70 believed to be alive. Aside from the murders, terrorists carried out brutal atrocities such as torture and rape, kicking off the largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.

Though there was no national memorial siren to mark a moment of silence on the anniversary of the deadliest attack in the country’s history, thousands stood silent at 6:29, and some radio and TV stations observed the moment as well.

On Jerusalem’s Azza Street, relatives of the hostages and hundreds of supporters stood down the road from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence. They sounded a two-minute siren at 6:29 a.m.

Israelis gather near Netanyahu’s residence as they mark anniversary of October 7 attacks

Israelis on 7 October marked the first anniversary of the Hamas attack that triggered a war which has sparked protest worldwide and risks igniting a far wider conflict in the Middle East.

At the site of the Nova Festival, which has been transformed into a massive memorial, relatives, friends, and others held a moment of silence alongside President Isaac Herzog.

Mourners gather at site of Nova music festival to mark 7 October attacks

The last track from the Nova music festival before Hamas’s attack was played as families and friends of the victims gathered at the site where at least 370 people were killed. Subscribe to The Guardian on YouTube ► http://bit.ly/subscribegdn After briefly playing the track, people stood for a moment of silence, joined by politicians from Israel and around the world.

At 6:29, the flags of the Knesset and most official buildings were lowered to half-mast. At night, the parliament building will be lit with a yellow light to honour the hostages.

While remembering the victims of October 7, Israel is still grappling with an ongoing nightmare. Israelis have experienced attacks — missiles from Iran and Hezbollah, explosive drones from Yemen, fatal shootings and stabbings — as the region braces for further escalation. They’ve watched as Israel is accused of committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza and becomes increasingly isolated internationally. Uncertainty over the future has cast a shadow over virtually every part of daily life, as well as the shattered sense of security and stability in the homeland.

A year later, the Hamas terror group marked the anniversary at 6:30 a.m. with rockets fired at communities adjacent to the southern Gaza Strip and Tel Aviv. While the rockets were a small fraction of the firepower Hamas once possessed, the bombardment was still among the heaviest attacks emanating from the Strip in months. The IDF claims to have carried out airstrikes around dawn to prevent a larger attack.

Both attacks were claimed by Hamas’s armed wing, which also published a missive marking the anniversary of what it said was the terror group’s successful penetration of Israeli communities and the killings of soldiers and “settlers,” a word it uses for all Israeli civilians.

Violence in Gaza has been growing in recent weeks with a widening war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and mounting tensions with Iran, which fired 300 missiles at Israel last Tuesday.

Several world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, marked the first anniversary of October 7 with calls to release the hostages still in captivity in Gaza and calls for a ceasefire, showing support for Israel and their respective Jewish communities, warning against the rising tide of antisemitism around the world, however, all amid France’s and other Western countries’ arms embargo on Israel.

 

Sources: The Times of Israel

Photo credit: Noam Amir/Hostages Families Forum

Video credit: The Guardian