Thousands have gathered across the globe at candlelight vigils to mark one year since the October 7 massacre.
Heartbreaking images show dozens of people wiping away tears from their eyes as they held photos of their dead or captured loved ones high.
They are marking one year since Hamas militants’ surprise cross-border attack killed about 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage.
The vicious attack sparked a war that has devastated the Hamas-ruled Gaza strip, fueled bloodshed across the Middle East and ignited protests all over the world.
Today people met to remember the around 100 hostages that remain in captivity, although many of them are feared dead.
A woman lights a candle at a vigil in Hendon Park to mark the anniversary of the Hamas October 7 attacks in London
Relatives and friends of people killed on October 7th cry during the National ceremony commemorating the first anniversary since the attacks in Tel Aviv, Israel
Hostages and Missing Families Forum hold a vigil on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attack in London
The attack, on a major Jewish holiday, shattered Israelis’ sense of security and left the world facing the prospect of a major conflict in the Middle East.
Israel responded by waging a war against the Hamas militants in Gaza, where the fighting has killed over 41,000 people and displaced around 1.9 million.
The conflict has spread in the region, where Israel now also is fighting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, facing escalating threats from Yemen’s Houthi rebels and contending with a mounting conflict with Iran, which backs Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
A moment of silence was held at a memorial event at Yarkon Park, which has been organised by the families of the victims of the attack.
The Times of Israel reported that just 2,000 people will be able to attend the memorial following restrictions imposed on large gatherings by the IDF.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog began the day with a minute of silence at 6:29am – the moment Hamas’ cross-border insurgency started – at the site of the Nova music festival near Re’im where heavily armed Hamas fighters killed at least 370 people.
Hundreds of people have gathered in Tel Aviv for the main memorial ceremony commemorating the victims of the October 7 terror attack
A moment of silence has just been held at a memorial event at Yarkon Park, which has been organised by the families of the victims of the attack
A woman looks on as she attends an alternative memorial ceremony organised by the families of hostages held in Gaza
After the minutes silence speeches from some of the family members and survivors of the attack were heard
Families of victims killed at the Supernova music festival attend a gathering in memory of their relatives, at the Supernova memorial site today
Family members and friends of the lost and kidnapped gather at the site of the Nova Festival to commemorate last year’s attacks
A man lights a candle as relatives and supporters of Israelis killed in the October 7 Hamas attack
A man meditates as relatives and supporters of Israelis killed in the October 7
Israeli hostages’ family members and their supporters attend a protest marking the first anniversary of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack
People stand in front of portraits of people, some confirmed dead, kidnapped by Hamas as they gather at Bebelplatz square in Berlin
Hostages and Missing Families Forum hold a vigil on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack in London
Hostages and Missing Families Forum hold a vigil on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack in London
A boy lights a candle as Hostages and Missing Families Forum vigil in London
Attendees at the vigil in London brought with them posters demanding the return of the hostages
The Hamas-Israel war also has spurred demonstrations and stirred tensions in many U.S. locales, including college campuses and major cities.
In New York, hundreds of protesters chanted ‘free, free Palestine,’ carried signs with messages such as ‘cease-fire now’ and spread a large Palestinian flag on a street near the New York Stock Exchange early Monday afternoon, while a smaller group of counter-protesters held an Israeli flag.
The nations of Europe, home to many Jewish and Muslim communities, have sought to tamp down both antisemitic and anti-Muslim sentiment.
The German chancellery in Berlin was adorned Monday with a yellow ribbon commemorating the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, around 100 of whom remain in captivity, with many of them feared dead. The names of the people killed and kidnapped in the attack on Israel were read out in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said to Germany’s ‘dear friends in Israel’ that ‘we feel with you … we stand beside you.’ Speaking to a conference in Hamburg, Scholz also pointed to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
In Italy, Premier Giorgia Meloni, who has voiced strong support for Israel, visited the main synagogue in Rome. She reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself, while insisting that the country respect international law and lamenting the devastation unleashed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen delivers a speech during a ceremony to pay tribute to the memory of the victims of last year October 7th attack in Israel, at the Great Synagogue in Brussels
Ursula von der Leyen is welcomed by Chief Rabbi Albert Guigui during a commemorative ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel
The ceremony paid tribute to the victims of the October 7th attack in Israel at the Great Synagogue in Brussels, Belgium
People react as they attend a gathering to support families of hostages held in Gaza in Tel Aviv, Israel
The families of hostages held in Gaza hold a silent protest to mark one year since the October 7 attack by Hamas during which their loved ones were taken hostage, in Tel Aviv, Israel
People react as they attend a gathering to support families of hostages held in Gaza, marking one year since the October 7 attack by Hamas during which their loved ones were taken hostage, in Tel Aviv, Israel
A man looks at pictures of the victims of the Hamas’ October 7 attack, on the day of a ceremony to mark one year since the attack, at the Great Synagogue of Europe, in Brussels, Belgium
People react as they attend a gathering to support families of hostages held in Gaza in Tel Aviv
A woman holds a Kidnapped sign for Raaya Rotem. Marking one year after the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel, as protesters from both sides gathered inside and outside of Columbia University in New York
A woman holds a Kidnapped sign for Noralin Agojo as protesters from both sides gathered inside and outside of Columbia University
A crowd marks one year after the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel at Columbia University
She denounced the ‘latent and rampant antisemitism’ she said has arisen since the Hamas attack, citing in particular pro-Palestinian protests in Italy this past weekend, some of which turned violent.
French President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris with relatives of hostages and of people killed in the Oct. 7 attacks. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot attended a memorial service at the site of the Nova music festival.
The Vatican marked the anniversary of the attacks by taking up a collection for the people of Gaza and publishing a letter from Pope Francis to Catholics in the region, expressing his solidarity.
In Poland’s capital of Warsaw, the Jewish community paid tribute to Alex Dancyg, a Polish-born Holocaust historian who was abducted from the Nir Oz kibbutz on Oct. 7 and killed by Hamas.
In Australia, thousands of people remembered the Oct. 7 dead by attending vigils in Sydney and Melbourne, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joining the latter event. Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters had rallied across Australia’s cities on Sunday, and hundreds gathered amid a heavy police presence Monday night at Sydney town hall for a vigil for Palestinian lives lost in the conflict.
In Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, schoolchildren took part in a Monday rally, organized by the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League party, to protest Israeli airstrikes in the Middle East and show solidarity with Palestinian people living in Gaza and Lebanon.
Japanese officials demanded the immediate release of all hostages and expressed condolences to Israelis who lost family members in the Hamas attacks.
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