The world marks the anniversary of the attack on Israel on October 7th

Israel’s president on Monday launched global commemorations on the first anniversary of the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack, with memorials being held to honor the victims and hostages still trapped in Gaza.

There were also protests against the wars that the unprecedented attack triggered in Gaza and Lebanon.

In Israel, President Isaac Herzog began the day with a minute’s silence at 6:29 a.m. – the time the attack began – at Kibbutz Reim, site of the Nova music festival where at least 370 people were killed by heavily armed Hamas fighters on May 7 .October.

Families of those killed attended the memorial service, many of them crying as Herzog met the crowd, an AFP correspondent reported.

There will also be a rally at Kibbutz Beeri, where more than 120 people were killed in the attack, demanding the return of hostages still held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

And in Tel Aviv, relatives of hostages and their supporters will hold a rally demanding a ceasefire.

French President Emmanuel Macron sent “fraternal thoughts” to the victims and their families.

“The pain remains as vivid as it was a year ago. The pain of the Israeli people. Ours. The pain of wounded humanity,” he wrote on X in posts in Hebrew, English and French.

In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was expected to attend an event in Melbourne on Monday evening, while a candlelight vigil was planned in Sydney to show support for the Palestinians after a year of war.

Meanwhile, students in the Indian capital New Delhi have called for a rally to demand a “free Palestine”.

In the United States, the White House will hold a vigil for the Israeli hostages, while Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will mark the anniversary at a “commemorative event” in Miami organized by Jewish community leaders.

– First vigils –

The first vigils, commemorations and marches to mark the anniversary took place a day earlier, on Sunday, in cities from Tel Aviv to London, Paris and Berlin.

Tens of thousands of protesters also marched in cities around the world over the weekend to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

In Tel Aviv, friends and relatives of the 370 people killed in the massacre at the Nova dance festival held a candlelight vigil in a concert hall on Sunday evening.

Against a backdrop of neon lights and music, they lit candles for their loved ones and hugged.

In London, thousands gathered in Hyde Park, waving Israeli flags and carrying “take them home” posters with the faces of the hostages.

Photos of those killed on October 7 were shown on a large screen as participants lit candles in their honor.

Mandy Damari, whose daughter Emily was among 251 people taken hostage by Hamas, told attendees: “A year has passed and she is still in hell.”

“I need to hug her again and I need to see her smile,” she said, close to tears.

Earlier on Saturday, a “National March for Palestine” in London chanted “Stop bombing civilians” and “Hands off Lebanon.”

– UN criticizes –

In Berlin, around 500 people took part in a pro-Israel demonstration near the Brandenburg Gate on Sunday, police said. Many waved the Israeli flag and some carried pictures of hostages held by Hamas.

According to police, over a thousand people marched in the city in solidarity with Palestinians, with demonstrators chanting “Gaza, you are not alone.”

Further demonstrations are expected on Monday, including in Frankfurt.

Thousands of people gathered in Paris on Sunday to remember the victims of the attack.

“We are here in support of Israel, the Israeli people, in memory of those killed and those abducted,” Robert Zbili, the president of the National Jewish Fund, told AFP that day.

In Geneva, 300 people gathered in front of the UN offices there on Sunday evening to pay a tribute.

The October 7 attack killed 1,205 people, most of them civilians. This is according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures and including hostages killed in captivity.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,870 people in the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians. This is according to figures from the territory’s Ministry of Health, described as reliable by the United Nations.

– “Never look away” –

In a statement late Sunday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “One year after these terrible attacks, we must unequivocally stand with the Jewish community and unite as a country.”

“We must never look the other way in the face of hate.”

He also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon and for the free flow of aid to Gaza.

In Washington, a man set himself on fire as more than 1,000 people demonstrated outside the White House demanding an end to US military aid to Israel, AFP journalists said.

In Morocco, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the capital Rabat on Sunday, waving Palestinian flags and demanding the severance of diplomatic ties with Israel, which the kingdom normalized in 2020.

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