Tel Aviv – Israelis on Monday marked a full year since the brutal Hamas attack October 7 terrorist attacksgathering at the scene of certain atrocities to pay tribute to those killed and demand the release of those who are still detained in Gaza. For many, it is hard to believe that 365 days have passed.
“We haven’t closed the story. We’re still here on this Shabbat, this Saturday,” Batsheva Yahalomi told CBS News a few days ago, as she returned to her former home on Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Her husband is believed to be one of 101 hostages still held in Gaza. His son was held hostage for 52 days before being released in a prisoner swap with Hamas in November 2023 – one of 105 Israelis released in exchange for around 180 Palestinians in the only such swap negotiated during the war year.
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At the site of the Nova Music Festival in Israel’s southern desert, the last song played before rockets began to rain a year ago was played again Monday as mourners clung together to others. Hamas terrorists murdered more than 360 people during the festival, and the toll rose further on Monday, a year after the massacre.
The October 7 hostage families’ forum announced Monday morning that Idan Shtivi, among dozens of people kidnapped at the festival, had been confirmed to have been killed by Hamas during the attack. His body was transported to Gaza that day and is still held there by the group.
These commemorative events come as tension continues to rise in a volatile Middle East. Israel led more airstrikes in Lebanon overnight, where its fight against the allied group of Hamas Hezbollah The situation has rapidly intensified since mid-September.
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The Israeli military said it also responded to an “immediate threat” of a new Hamas attack in Gaza, the group’s longtime stronghold, by striking a hospital as it intercepted three projectiles fired from the territory Palestinian.
Israel launched its war against Hamas in Gaza a year ago, hours after the group’s October 7 terrorist attack.
There were weeks of intense airstrikes before ground forces entered the densely populated enclave. The Hamas-run Health Ministry says nearly 42,000 people have been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza over the past year – by far the deadliest war ever fought between the two sides.
Some Hezbollah rockets fired from Lebanon passed through Israeli air defense systems overnight, landing in the northern city of Haifa, injuring several people.
In a statement marking 12 months of what he called “the most just war in all our years,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to “continue to do whatever it takes to defend the homeland and be worthy of the heritage of our beloved ones.” those, our fallen comrades – citizens and soldiers.
In a lengthy statement released Monday morning by the White House, President Biden urged the world to “bear witness to the indescribable brutality of the October 7 attacks but also to the beauty of the lives that were stolen that day.”
The president said, referring to his visit to Israel shortly after the attacks, that he then “made it clear to the Israeli people: You are not alone. One year later, Vice President Harris and I remain fully committed to the nation’s security.” Jewish people, the security of Israel and its right to exist. »
Mr. Biden said the attacks had “brought to the surface painful memories left by millennia of hatred and violence against the Jewish people,” and he reiterated his support for Israel’s “right to defend itself against attacks by Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis and Iran.”
