Commemoration under rocket fire from Gaza
The commemoration, which is being held throughout the day in many places in Israel to mark the first anniversary of the unprecedented attack by the terrorist organization Hamas, is taking place under rocket fire from Gaza and southern Lebanon. The victims of the terrorist attack and the Gaza war triggered by it were also remembered internationally.
Exactly at the beginning of the commemoration at 6:29 a.m. Monday morning – around this time of October 7, a year ago, hundreds of Hamas terrorists and residents of Gaza launched the attack on Israel – rockets were fired by Hamas from Gaza. They were intercepted by Israel’s air defenses or landed in uninhabited areas.
The pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah also began shelling northern Israel daily for a year in the morning. Later, rocket alarms were also triggered in Tel Aviv and the densely populated central area of Israel. Hamas claimed to have fired several rockets from Khan Yunis at Israel. Israel’s army continued attacks on Hezbollah and Hamas positions.
Hezbollah denies Israel’s right to exist
Meanwhile, Hezbollah again denied Israel’s right to exist in a statement on Monday. There is no place for Israel “in our region and in our social, cultural and human structure,” the militia said.
Difficult commemoration of deep trauma
It has been a year since the unprecedented attack on Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas – and the entire country commemorates the events that traumatize society to this day and the fates of hundreds of families throughout the day.
All Israeli TV news channels have continuous live broadcasts, and the public broadcaster Kan also broadcast live from Kfar Asa, one of the places on the border with the Gaza Strip that was attacked and largely destroyed by Hamas. In interviews, many survivors remember the bloody events that began exactly one year ago at 6:29 a.m. – and in which the failure of the army and the government is always an issue.
A resident of Kfar Asa who lost his entire family in the terrorist attack said that many people lay injured and defenseless in their homes for hours. They bled to death because no help came for hours. Many of the survivors also emphasize on this day that they are still completely trapped in the events, that memories of the events and of the murdered loved ones constantly catch up with them.
For a long time, the survivors, and especially the relatives of the 101 hostages still held in Gaza, have emphasized that only after their return can a reappraisal begin. De facto, however, the negotiations for a hostage deal have been at an impasse for months. Hostage relatives demonstrated on Monday in front of the house of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom they have accused for months of not doing enough to free the hostages. Netanyahu said once again that Israel must bring back the hostages.
Netanyahu does not want to respond to Hamas’ demand
The real question, however, is what price the government is willing to pay for this. Hamas has been demanding a ceasefire and troop withdrawal as conditions for months. Netanyahu has so far rejected this – also for strategic reasons. This, in turn, minimizes the chances of bringing hostages back alive from captivity. Of course, Hamas has so far shown little willingness to compromise in the negotiations.
In Israel, October 7 is now considered the greatest state failure in the country’s history – even greater than that surrounding the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Another hostage dead
On Monday, it was announced that another Israeli hostage of Hamas is dead. The Forum of Hostage Families emphasized that Idan Shtivi had been murdered on October 7 of the previous year. Until now, the army and intelligence services had assumed that Shtivi was still alive. His body is “still being held by Hamas”.
Biden and Harris denounce Hamas crimes
Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog appealed on Monday to the international community not to leave Israel alone in the defensive fight against its enemies – also with a view to peace in the Middle East. October 7, 2023 leaves “a scar on humanity,” Herzog said.
The victims of the terrorist attack were also commemorated internationally. October 7 will go down in history as a “black day” for the Palestinian people because of the war sparked by Hamas, said US President Joe Biden. “Far too many civilians have suffered far too much suffering during the conflict that has been going on for a year,” the US president continued.
Vice President Kamala Harris stressed that what Hamas did on October 7 was “the evil par excellence – it was brutal and abhorrent.” At the same time, she said she was “heartbroken by the extent of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip over the past year.”
“Day of Pain and Mourning”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz demanded that Hezbollah and Iran immediately stop firing rockets at Israel and that the militia withdraw from the border area with Israel. Scholz also spoke out in favour of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The war has brought “unimaginable suffering to the Palestinian population” in Gaza.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot assured Israel of France’s solidarity. “France is unwaveringly committed to Israel’s security,” Barrot said against the background of a debate on arms deliveries to Israel.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recalled Hamas’ “inhuman aggression” at a memorial service in the Great Synagogue in Rome. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke of a “day of pain and mourning”. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the other hand, again verbally attacked Israel and repeated his “genocide” accusation.
Schallenberg: Efforts for Tal Shoham
On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had already condemned Hamas and called for an immediate end to the violence and bloodshed and the release of all hostages. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) also called for an end to the violence in the Middle East. He recalled that among the hostages is also the Israeli-Austrian dual citizen Tal Shoham. “His release is our top priority,” Schallenberg spoke of intensive efforts at all levels.
At dawn on October 7, 2023, hundreds of terrorists from Hamas and allied Islamist groups had entered southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli sources, a total of 1,205 people were killed in several villages and at a music festival, mostly civilians. 251 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip.
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