Remembering October 7: Israel Observes First Year Since Hamas Attack

On Monday, Oct. 7,  the world focused its attention on the first anniversary of the somber Hamas attack in southern Israel, which was commemorated with both memorial services and demonstrations. 

While commemorating what happened during that time, Israel is also engaged in a multi-front offensive against both Hamas, the Palestinian militant group operating out of Gaza and the West Bank, and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist group based in southern Lebanon. 

Vigils and protests were held on the Sunday (Oct. 6) before the anniversary, and acts of remembrance and defiance continued throughout the day. 

Commemorations in Israel

Multiple commemorative events took place across Israel alone. 

The Associated Press reported that two major commemorative events happened on Monday, one in Jerusalem organized by the Israeli government and the other in Tel Aviv by disgruntled family members of the victims and hostages who are dismayed with the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and hundreds more have gathered at the site of the Tribe of Nova Music Festival in the middle of the Negev Desert near the Gaza border to commemorate the more than 350 partygoers who were killed or captured during the first wave of attacks. The final music track that was heard during that event was played, then abruptly cut at 06:29 — the official time the Hamas attack began — to mark a moment of silence for the deceased and the hostages. 

In Jerusalem, families of some of the hostages and victims marched towards Netanyahu’s residence to call for an end to the war and the return of their loved ones who remain captive inside the strip or whose remains still need to be recovered. 

Memorials, Protests Across the World

Commemorations and demonstrations from both sides of the current Middle Eastern conflict were also center-stage on Monday. 

In New York, where the largest Jewish community outside Israel is located, dueling demonstrations break out. Jewish memorial services, pro-Israel protests, and a rally attended by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Mayor Eric Adams were countered by pro-Palestinian protests, the largest one grinding traffic in Manhattan to a halt, according to the New York Times. 

Meanwhile, as the US presidential election is about to take place in under a month, US Vice President and Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris and former US President and Republican nominee Donald Trump attended memorial services organized by Jewish communities in Washington and New York, respectively.

European nations have also held memorial services in connection to the event.

Time reported that Germany was at the forefront of the commemorations on the continent, with a dawn ceremony at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate that began at 05:29 local time, as the city was one hour behind Israel. 

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier addressed an inter-religious service at a church in the city later that day.

On the other hand, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attended a memorial event at a Hamburg synagogue. 

In an earlier video message on Sunday, Scholz categorized Hamas’s attack as a catastrophe for the Palestinian people. 

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also reaffirmed her strong support for Israel by attending a memorial service in Rome’s main synagogue. Meloni also denounced what she called the latent and rampant antisemitism in her country after a series of pro-Palestine rallies over the weekend ended in violence. 

However, she also lamented the destruction of Gaza, calling its people as victims of both Hamas’s treatment of Palestinian civilians as human shields and Israel’s military campaign in the strip.

French President Emmanuel Macron made a statement on X, saying that the pain of the attacks was “as vivid as it was a year ago,” but users on the platform received it poorly. 

October 7.

The pain remains, as vivid as it was a year ago. The pain of the Israeli people. Ours. The pain of wounded humanity.

We do not forget the victims, the hostages, or the families with broken hearts from absence or waiting. I send them our fraternal thoughts.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 7, 2024

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot attended the Nova Music Festival site memorial ceremony. 

Australia is one of the first nations to commemorate the Hamas attacks. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton attended memorial vigils and services in Melbourne and Sydney, respectively. 

It is also a common observation across the world that a spike in incidents of both antisemitism and anti-Muslim violence has been recorded around the world ever since the attacks. 

Hezbollah Dragged Into the War

In the weeks leading up to the anniversary of the Hamas attacks, Hezbollah and Iran have been firing missiles and rockets toward Israel, sending a message of support towards Hamas and warning of an escalation of the conflict into the wider region. 

It could be recalled that Israel effectively neutralized both Hamas and Hezbollah leadership, including key figures Ismail Haniyeh and Hassan Nasrallah, prior to the anniversary of the attacks. 

Particularly for Hezbollah, which, according to Israeli defense and security authorities and analysts, is a greater threat than Hamas, its key leaders were killed or injured after it was revealed that their pagers and two-way radios contained miniature explosives that would trigger an explosion upon activating an error signal. 

It is understood that the southern Lebanese militant group resorted to low-tech devices after it lost any confidence in its communication systems, believing that it was hacked or infiltrated by Israelis. The pager attack further crippled Hezbollah’s communication capabilities, resulting in the group having to rely on word-of-mouth and written formats. 

Nasrallah and other high-ranking Hezbollah leaders were later killed by a follow-up Israeli airstrike at the group’s headquarters in Beirut, which triggered an escalation at the Israel-Lebanon border and the evacuation of foreigners from the country. 

Hezbollah vowed it would continue its attacks until a ceasefire in Gaza takes effect.