Israel Commemorates One Year Since Hamas Attacks Amid Ongoing Middle East Conflict

Thousands of people gathered over the weekend for emotional commemorations marking the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.

This attack resulted in the deaths of 1,205 individuals, primarily civilians, according to a tally based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages who died in captivity.

Israel’s military response has reportedly killed at least 41,870 people in the Gaza Strip, most of whom are civilians, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry, which the United Nations has deemed reliable.

Additionally, there have been military offensives against Hezbollah and potential threats toward Iran after Israel faced an attack involving 200 ballistic missiles from Iran last week.

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

In Tel Aviv, friends and family of the 370 victims from the Nova dance festival massacre held a candlelight vigil at a concert hall on Sunday evening.

In London, thousands gathered in Hyde Park, waving Israeli flags and holding placards that read “Bring Them Home,” featuring the faces of hostages still held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

Photos of those who were killed on October 7 were displayed on a large screen as attendees lit candles in their memory.

“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 said.

Mandy Damari, whose daughter Emily was among the 251 people taken hostage by Hamas, described her daughter as “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, approximately 650 people attended a commemoration on Saturday, during which police detained 26 individuals for shouting insults at participants.

In Paris, thousands gathered on Sunday to honor 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 said.

The president of Israel, who visited the site of the attack, stated that the country is “still in pain” a year after the October 7 Hamas attacks.

In a statement prior to his three-day commemoration tour, Isaac Herzog remarked: “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 lead-up to the anniversary has been characterized by escalating tension, with concerns that the ongoing conflict could escalate into a broader 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 urged for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as 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.”