Israel this morning began commemorations for the anniversary of Hamas’ devastating attacks on October 7, 2023 – one of the darkest days in Jewish history since the Holocaust. President Isaac Herzog began the day with a minute of silence at 6:29am – the moment the attack started – at the site of the Nova music festival near Re’im where heavily armed Hamas fighters killed at least 370 people.
Families of those killed attended the memorial site and many were seen breaking down as Herzog declared: ‘A year has passed since life came to a halt, the skies darkened, and all of us witnessed the monstrous cruelty of the enemy that sought to bring destruction upon the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and Israeli society.’ ‘We are all still in pain, and we seek to make space for national mourning, for the tears over the terrible disaster that struck us,’ he said, adding that the world ‘must support Israel’ to bring peace.
‘The world has to realise and understand that in order to change the course of history and bring peace, a better future to the region, it must support Israel in its battle against its enemies,’ Herzog said, before walking among the memorials to greet families of the victims. Ceremonies and events are planned across Israel and in cities around the world to mark the anniversary of the unprecedented attack by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip, which claimed more than 1,200 lives.
President Herzog will later on Monday lead a ceremony to remember victims of the war against Hamas in the western Israel city of Sderot, less than two kilometres (just over a mile) from the Gaza border. The IDF meanwhile released never-before-seen footage from October 7, showing Israeli soldiers fighting Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Re’im on the morning of the onslaught in a reminder of the brutality of the unexpected attacks.
The anniversary comes with Israel still fighting in Gaza and engaged in a fresh war to the north in Lebanon against Hamas ally Hezbollah. It is also preparing its retaliation against Tehran over an Iranian missile attack last week, raising fears of an even wider conflict.
On a visit to the border with Lebanon this morning to speak with IDF troops engaged in the conflict to the north, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: ‘A year ago, we suffered a terrible blow. But over the past 12 months, we have completely transformed reality,’ he concluded, vowing to achieve victory over Hamas and Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, IDF chief Herzi Halevi told his troops: ‘A year has passed, and we have defeated the military wing of Hamas… We have dealt a severe blow to Hezbollah, which has lost all of its senior leadership. We are not stopping – we fight, debrief, learn, and improve,’ he added, as troops in northern Gaza operated against what the IDF said were Hamas attempts to rebuild. ‘We are destroying our enemies’ capabilities, and we will ensure that these capabilities are not rebuilt, so that October 7th is never repeated.’
The speech came as an Israeli campaign group announced the death of another hostage held in Gaza. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Idan Shtivi (not pictured), 28, was abducted from the site of the Nova music festival and his ‘body is still held captive by Hamas’. The forum said Shtivi had just arrived at the festival site when the attack began.
‘On October 7, Idan arrived at the Nova Festival in the early morning to document his friends’ performances and workshops,’ the forum said in a statement. ‘However, he never made it inside. When the attack began, Idan helped two strangers he had just met escape from the site. This selfless choice ultimately led to his abduction.’ Other families whose loved ones are thought to remain alive in Gaza after a year in captivity have told of their agony.
Among them is Mandy Damari (pictured), a 63-year-old primary school teacher from Surrey. She had her world torn apart on October 7 last year after her daughter Emily, 28, was taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza by Hamas thugs. Mandy has spent the last year lobbying Israeli and British politicians for the safe return of her daughter, the only British hostage to remain in Hamas’ hands. In a short snippet shared with media outlets, Mandy said: ‘I would like to feel that the British public were behind her and the British government are behind her and they were saying there was a British hostage held captive in the terror tunnels by Hamas in Gaza.’
She added: ‘I want them to know that she’s there and to advocate for her release unconditionally and immediately. She’s a young woman who knows what’s happening to her. If there’s a way to put her on social media, see her out there, remind people that she’s there, make sure she’s not forgotten. She’s my daughter, I love her to the moon and back. There’s no way I’m giving up on her. That’s my job now, to get my daughter back alive.’ Pictured: Mandy’s daughter Emily – taken hostage by Hamas a year ago today.
Hamas terrorists killed some 1,200 people in the October 7 attack and took another 250 hostage. They still hold around 100 captives, a third of whom are believed to be dead. President Herzog promised: ‘I pledge — we will rebuild and restore everything anew, and that rebuilding will not be complete until the hostages return home.’
Among those hostages that have been released since October 7 is little Emily Hand (pictured), nine, who was snatched in her pyjamas during a sleepover at her friend’s house on October 7 last year and was held hostage for 50 days. Footage of Emily running into her father’s arms before they shared an emotional embrace warmed the hearts of all who watched it.
Her father Thomas said at the time she was ‘broken but in one piece’ after he had previously said he believed she would be better off dead than kidnapped by Hamas. It’s been a long road to recovery, as upon her return Emily was painfully skinny, with matted filthy hair and she only spoke in a whisper because her thuggish captors had told the schoolgirl they would stab her if she made too much noise. But Thomas praised her as a ‘fighter’ and revealed she is now as ‘noisy and boisterous as ever’ and is ‘smiling again’. He vowed to never complain about how loud she is being. He told The Sun that Emily is ‘smiling again’ and is back at school with some of her old friends, starting to ‘enjoy life’.
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