Israel marks the anniversary of Hamas attacks as fighting raged

Amid ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, Israel held ceremonies to commemorate the victims of mass killings and kidnappings by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

A year after the attack – which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that such an attack would not happen again, saying Israeli forces would “change the security reality” of the region .

Nearly 42,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip since October 7, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

During the commemoration day, Israel said it intercepted more than 100 rockets fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as projectiles fired by Yemen’s Houthis and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Last October, Hamas gunmen breached the border fence in Gaza and rampaged through nearby Israeli villages, kibbutzim, military posts and the Nova music festival.

On Monday, the families of the hundreds killed and dozens of hostages at the festival gathered early at the site of the first memorial service of the day.

They held pictures of their loved ones and listened to the final song played at the festival before Israeli President Isaac Herzog observed a minute’s silence at 6:29 a.m., the moment the attack began.

Smaller events took place in surrounding communities that were also attacked by armed Hamas fighters.

Elsewhere, Netanyahu visited the Iron Sword memorial in Jerusalem to the victims of Hamas attacks and lit a candle to “remember our fallen and hostages.”

Israeli families gathered in Tel Aviv’s largest park for an event called the Bereaved Families Memorial Ceremony, which served as an alternative to the government’s official memorial ceremony.

Some of Israel’s most popular singers gave emotional performances as images of the victims flashed on screens.

The stage was decorated with items symbolizing the attacks, including burned and broken cars from the Nova music festival; a children’s bicycle and a swing from the Be’eri kibbutz.

Outside Israel, President Biden joined other world leaders in condemning what he called the “unspeakable brutality” of Hamas attacks a year ago.

He also expressed horror at the war that followed, saying “far too many civilians suffered, far too much.”

Mourners also gathered for vigils around the world, including in Australia, South Africa, Germany and the United States.

In the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer told the House of Commons that he supported Israel’s right to defend itself. However, the British prime minister insisted there was no military solution to the current crisis and called on all sides to “stand down.”

But while the memorial services took place, the broader conflict in the region continued to rage.

The Israeli military said Hezbollah fired more than 130 rockets across the border from Lebanon. Most were shot down, but some hit the cities of Haifa and Tiberius.

Hamas had previously fired rockets at Tel Aviv from Gaza. The army said ballistic missiles were fired from Yemen at Israel but were successfully intercepted.

Throughout the day, Israel carried out several airstrikes and several ground strikes in Lebanon.

The Israeli military said it was expanding its operations against Hezbollah and warned residents in southern Lebanon not to use boats in the sea or rivers south of the Awali River.

Three weeks of heavy Israeli attacks and other attacks in Lebanon have killed more than 1,400 people and displaced another 1.2 million, according to Lebanese authorities.

Hezbollah – a Shiite Islamist political, military and social organization that wields considerable power in Lebanon – remained defiant despite suffering a series of devastating setbacks in recent weeks, including the assassination of its leader and most of its top military commanders.

On Monday, the group stressed it was “confident… in our resistance’s ability to resist Israeli aggression.”

The Israeli government – which classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist organization – has pledged to allow tens of thousands of displaced people to safely return to their homes near the Lebanese border after a year of cross-border fighting sparked by the Gaza war.

Hostilities have escalated steadily since Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after its ally Hamas’ deadly attack on southern Israel.