Israel held ceremonies to commemorate the victims of Hamas’s 7 October 2023 mass killings and kidnappings, which took place against the backdrop of ongoing fighting in Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli PM, has pledged to prevent such an attack from happening again. He said that Israel’s armed force is “changing the security realities” of the area.
According to the Hamas health ministry, Israel’s offensive on Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 people since 7 October.
Israel reported intercepting more than 100 rockets fired from Hezbollah‘s base in Lebanon, as well as projectiles fired by the Houthis of Yemen and Hamas from Gaza.
Last October, gunmen from Hamas Gaza broke through the border fencing and rampaged throughout nearby Israeli villages, Kibbutzim and military posts, as well as the Nova music festival.
Families of the hundreds of victims and the dozens of hostages taken at the festival gathered early on Monday for the first memorial of the day.
They listened to the final track played at the festival while holding pictures of their loved ones. Then, at 06:29 – the exact moment the attack began – Israeli President Isaac Herzog led the minute’s silent.
Smaller events were held in nearby communities that were also attacked by Hamas gunmen.
Netanyahu also visited the Iron Sword Memorial in Jerusalem, which is dedicated to victims of Hamas attacks. He lit a candle “to remember our fallen, our hosts”.
Israeli families gathered together in Tel Aviv’s largest park for a memorial event called the Bereaved Families Memorial Ceremony. This was an alternative to the official Government Memorial Ceremony.
During the emotional performances, images of victims were flashed across the screen.
The stage was decorated with items that represented the attacks, including burned and broken cars from Nova music festival and a child’s bike and swing set from Be’eri kibbutz.
Outside of Israel, Biden joined world leaders to condemn what he called “unspeakable violence” of the Hamas attack a year ago.
He also expressed horror over the war that followed, saying, “far too many civilians had suffered, far to much”.
Mourners gathered in vigils all over the world, including Australia, South Africa and the United States.
Sir Keir starmer, the British member of the House of Commons, said he supported Israel’s right to self-defense. But Britain’s Prime Minister insisted that there was no military answer to the current crisis, and urged all sides to “step aside”.
The wider conflict in the area continued to rage as the memorial services were held.
Hezbollah has fired 130 rockets from Lebanon across the border, according to the Israeli military. Some of the rockets were shot down but others hit Haifa and Tiberius.
Hamas had earlier launched rockets from Gaza at Tel Aviv. The army reported that ballistic missiles were fired from Yemen at Israel, but they were intercepted.
Throughout the day, Israel conducted multiple airstrikes and several ground incursions into Lebanon.
The Israeli military announced that it was expanding its operations against Hezbollah and warned residents of southern Lebanon to stay away from the sea or rivers south the Awali River.
According to Lebanese officials, three weeks of intense Israeli attacks and other attacks on Lebanon has killed more than 1,400 and displaced 1.2 million others.
Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on northern Israel, which began on 8 October 2023 – the day after Hamas’s deadly attack against southern Israel – have steadily escalated since then.
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