Israelis on Monday marked the first anniversary of the devastating Hamas-led attack that triggered a war which has sparked protest worldwide and risks igniting a far wider conflict in the Middle East.
Ceremonies and protests in Jerusalem and Israel’s south began around 06:29 a.m. local time, the hour when Hamas-led militants launched rockets into Israel at the start of the Oct. 7 attack last year.
They killed some 1,200 people dead and took another 250 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 by families of hostages holding 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 of Israel that 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 mournes 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 held outside Israel and demonstrations were expected against its offensive in the Gaza Strip which has laid waste to the densely populated coastal enclave, killed more than 41,900, according to Palestinian health authorities, and displaced most of the 2.3 million population.
Kibbutz Be’eri suffered one of Hamas’s worst massacres on Oct. 7. One year later, some community members say Israel’s deadly military response in Gaza was the only option, while a smaller group — including the son of Canadian victim Vivian Silver — say there must be a pathway to peace.
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 at kibbutz villages and towns near the border throughout the day.
LISTEN l Nir Oz kibbutz resident Jonathan Dekel-Chen on trauma of the past year:
Front Burner32:32‘Time stopped on October 7th’
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-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict began.
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 where Israeli forces have been exchanging fire with 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 of Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut and a ground offensive into border villages meant to stamp out its fighters there and allow tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from their homes in the country’s north to return.
CBC’s Margaret Evans travelled to Tyre, Lebanon — a trip heavily controlled by Hezbollah — to see the damage from recent Israeli airstrikes and hear from the people who refuse to leave the region despite the danger.
Israel’s assault, which has killed over 1,000 people in the past two weeks, has triggered a mass flight from southern Lebanon where more than 1 million people have been displaced.
Meanwhile, movement in the Israeli-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 into Israel on Monday.
