Israel mourns the anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack

Commemorative events are taking place across Israel on the first anniversary of the Hamas terror attack. President Herzog and relatives commemorated the dead at the Nova music festival. Hamas fired rockets at Tel Aviv.

Commemorative events have begun in Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas massacre in the border area with the Gaza Strip. At 6:29 a.m. – the start of the massacre a year ago – Israeli President Izchak Herzog attended a memorial service near Kibbutz Reim, where more than 370 participants in the Nova music festival were killed a year ago.

He held a minute’s silence together with relatives and friends of the victims. He appealed to the world to support Israel in the fight against its enemies.

Herzog continued: “The world must realize this and understand that it must support Israel in the battle against its enemies.” Israel would fight a battle for the free world.

Netanyahu remembers victims and hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also remembered the victims and the hostages kidnapped in the Gaza Strip and demonstrated determination. “We remember our fallen, our hostages whose return we are trying to bring home, our heroes who fell defending our homeland and our country,” he said at a memorial event.

“We lived through a terrible massacre a year ago and rose as a nation like lions.” In Jerusalem, the head of government visited a memorial to civilians, first responders and soldiers killed in the Hamas-led terror attack.

No anniversary ceasefire

Hamas attacks continued today. According to the Israeli army, right at the beginning of the commemoration, Hamas tried to attack Israel with many rockets from the Gaza Strip. However, Israeli warplanes partially thwarted the attack by bombing Hamas launch sites and tunnels in the Gaza Strip shortly beforehand. Of four bullets fired from the southern Gaza Strip, three were intercepted. A projectile fell into an open area.

The terrorist organization also said it fired rockets at Tel Aviv. The Israeli military said there was an air alert in Tel Aviv and throughout the center of the country.

Solidarity from Germany

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the Hamas massacre a year ago as a turning point in Jewish and German history. October 7, 2023 will be a turning point for Jews, after which there will only be a “before” and “after,” the Green politician wrote in a guest article for “Bild am Sonntag”.

“October 7th is also a turning point for us in Germany.” She is ashamed that since then Jews have felt less safe in Germany and that anti-Semitic attacks have increased – and that Iranian missiles against the State of Israel are being celebrated on German streets. “We are opposing this. With the full force of the law,” emphasized Baerbock.

“Israel has a right to self-defense”

Addressing the people of Israel, she said: “We stand by your side. Your security is part of our reason of state. Israel has a right to self-defense. Against the violence of Hamas as well as against the rocket terror of Iran and Hezbollah.”

Baerbock also referred to the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip: “We will not let up until all the hostages are free and with their loved ones,” wrote the Foreign Minister in a message written in Hebrew on the online network X.

Ongoing protests for the release of the hostages

Relatives and friends are again protesting today near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence for the release of the hostages.

“We are here to remind them that we have not forgotten them,” said Shiri Albag, whose daughter Liri is among the hostages. Their message to Netanyahu: “We will not let you rest until they are all back, every single one of them.”

There are said to be around 100 hostages still in the Gaza Strip, a third of whom are said to be dead. There have been repeated mass protests in Israel in recent months in which Netanyahu has been accused of not doing enough to save the hostages.