Israel marks Oct. 7 anniversary under shadow of escalating war
Security forces were on high alert and rocket attacks were directed at Tel Aviv, Haifa by militants
Israelis on Monday marked the first anniversary of the devastating Hamas-led attack that triggereda warwhich has sparked protest worldwide andrisks ignitinga far wider conflict in the Middle East.
Ceremonies and protests in Jerusalem andIsrael's southbeganaround 06:29 a.m. local time, the hour when Hamas-led militants launched rockets intoIsraelat the start of the Oct. 7 attack last year.
They killed some1,200 people deadand took another250 hostage,at least 70 of whom have since died,according to Israeli media. Among the dead were several Canadian citizens.
Outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem, around 300 people led byfamilies of hostagesholding up photos of their loved ones, observed a minute of silence for the dead as a siren sounded.
"We're still stuck in October 7th, 2023, in one unending day of terror, of fear, of anger, of despair," said Yuval Baron, whose father-in-law Keith Siegel is hostage in Gaza.
"We wanted to start this day together to remind ourselves, our prime minister, the public ofIsraelthat even though it is a day of grief there is still a holy mission to bring back the hostages," said Baron.
In Gaza, 101 hostages remain as Israeli forces press on with their mission to end Hamas's rule of the enclave and demolish its military capabilities. The Israeli government has said it believes about one-third of those hostages are no longer alive.
Israel's president joins mourners at music fest site
The surprise assault by Hamas, considered a terrorist group by several Western governments including Canada's, was one of the worst security failures for a country that prides itself on a strong, sophisticated military. The attack shattered many citizens' sense of security and sent their faith in its leaders to new lows.
Vigils were also heldoutsideIsraelanddemonstrationswere expectedagainst its offensive in the Gaza Strip which haslaid wastetothe densely populated coastal enclave,killedmore than 41,900, according to Palestinian health authorities, anddisplacedmost of the 2.3 million population.
In Re'im, the site of the Nova music festival where more than 360 people were killed and dozens taken hostage, President Isaac Herzog presided over the memorial ceremony which began with the last track that was played at the party a year ago.
"We will remember always who kidnapped, who murdered, who raped, who slaughtered. At the same time, we have also seen extraordinary fortitude. We have a wonderful people and on this day we strengthen it and call for unity," said Herzog.
Ceremonies were to take place atkibbutz villagesand towns near the border throughout the day.
Pope Francis criticized on Monday what he called the "shameful inability" of the international community to end the war in the Middle East.
"A year ago, the fuse of hatred was lit; it did not sputter, but exploded in a spiral of violence," he said in an open letter to Catholics in the region.
"It seems that few people care about what is most needed and what is most desired: dialogue and peace," he wrote. "Violence never brings peace. History proves this, yet years and years of conflict seem to have taught us nothing."
Hamas, Hezbollah fire rockets
Security forces were on high alert across the country on Monday, the military and police said, anticipating possible Palestinian attacks planned for the anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023, when the worst bloodletting in the decades-oldIsraeli-Palestinian conflictbegan.
On Monday, Hamas's armed wing attacked Israel's Tel Aviv with a missile salvo, the militant group said in a statement, with the Israeli military saying sirens were sounded in central Israel.
In recent weeks, the focus of the war has increasingly shifted north to Lebanon whereIsraeli forces have beenexchanging firewith Hezbollah since the Iranian-backed group launched a barrage of missiles in support of Hamas on Oct. 8.
Hezbollah rockets hit Israel's third-largest city Haifa early on Monday. Hezbollah said it targeted a military base south of Haifa with a salvo of Fadi 1 missiles and launched another attack on Tiberias, 65 kilometres away.
What began as limited daily exchanges has escalated into bombardments ofHezbollah'sstronghold in Beirut and a ground offensive into border villages meant to stamp out its fighters there and allow tens of thousands ofIsraelis evacuated from their homes in the country's north to return.
Israel's assault, which has killed over 1,000 people in the past two weeks, has triggered a massflightfrom southern Lebanon, where more than onemillion people have beendisplaced.
Lebanon's Health Ministrysaid on Monday that an initial toll of 10 firefighters were killed in an Israeli strike on a municipal building in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil.
Meanwhile, movement in theIsraeli-occupied West Bank was further hampered as many checkpoints shut down, residents said,and some Palestinians with entry permits received notices on their mobile phones saying they will not be allowed intoIsraelon Monday.
A 12-year-old Palestinian boy was killed in confrontations between youths and Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the Palestinian health ministry said.
The Israeli military said it was checking the report.
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