As fighting continues in Gaza and Lebanon, Israel held a ceremony on October 7, 2023 to commemorate the victims of Hamas massacres and kidnappings.
A year after the attacks that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces would "change the security reality" in the region and vowed to prevent such attacks in the future. The conflict following the Hamas attacks has claimed about 42,000 lives in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Israel said it intercepted more than 100 rockets fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon over the Memorial Day period, as well as projectiles fired by Yemen's Houthis and Hamas in Gaza. One year after October 7, Israeli kibbutz struggles to recover Gaza on a map: How a year of war has dramatically changed the situation Jeremy Bowen's analysis - Is the Middle East on the brink of a major war? Hamas hostages: Stories of those kidnapped from Israel Last October, Hamas gunmen breached the border fence and rampaged through nearby Israeli villages, kibbutzim, a military base and the Nova music festival. On Monday, families of the hundreds killed at the festival and dozens of those taken hostage gathered at the site from early morning for the first memorial service of the day. Holding photos of their loved ones, they listened to the final songs played at the festival and were joined by Israeli President Isaac Herzog for a minute's silence at 6:29 a.m., the time the attack began. Smaller events were also held in nearby communities, which were also attacked by Hamas gunmen. Elsewhere, Netanyahu visited Jerusalem's Iron Sword Memorial, which commemorates the victims of the Hamas attack, and lit a candle to "memorialize the hostages who fell in battle." Israeli families gathered in Tel Aviv's largest park for an event they described as a memorial service for the victims, in lieu of an official government memorial. Israel's most popular singers gave emotional performances as images of the victims were projected on screens. The stage was decorated with items symbolizing the attacks, including a burnt and broken car from the Nova music festival, a child's bicycle and a swing from Kibbutz Be'eri. Outside Israel, President Biden joined other world leaders a year ago in condemning the "unspeakable brutality" of the Hamas attacks. He also expressed horror at the war that followed, saying "too many civilians have suffered, too many." Mourners also gathered at vigils around the world, including in Australia, South Africa, Germany and the United States. In the UK, Sir Keir Starmer told the House of Commons that he supports Israel's right to defend itself. But the British prime minister insisted there was no military solution to the current crisis and called on all sides to "stand down".
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