Australians hold vigils to mark anniversary of Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 | World News

On Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach, participants holding Israeli and Australian flags listened in silence to a reading of the names of the 101 Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas.

The Israel-Hamas conflict has sparked protests worldwide from both Jewish and Palestinian groups, including some in Australia, who have warned the events could inflame community tensions and disrupt social harmony.

Some pro-Palestinian events planned in Australia to mark the anniversary were brought forward a day after talks with authorities, but pro-Israel groups held the events, from Bondi to Parliament House in the capital Canberra.

“According to Jewish tradition, a year after a traumatic and loss-filled event, we are forced to stop mourning, but it is impossible not to mourn when 101 Israelis remain in this hell,” said Alex Ryvchin from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. said at Bondi.

According to Israeli sources, Ryvchin was referring to the 250 hostages seized from Hamas militants that have not yet been returned, as well as 1,200 Israelis killed in the country’s deadliest attack.

In Parliament House, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott said at an event organized by the Christian group Never Again Is Now that he regretted the civilian deaths among Palestinians but “admired the way Israel has tried so incredibly carefully to avoid them.” “.

In a statement on Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he condemned the Hamas attack a year earlier, but added: “As we mourn and reflect, we also reaffirm a fundamental principle of our shared humanity: every innocent life matters.”

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