HomeFeaturesThousands Gather In Tel Aviv To Mark Oct 7 Attack Anniversary

Thousands Gather In Tel Aviv To Mark Oct 7 Attack Anniversary

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Over the weekend, thousands of individuals came together for the initial heartfelt observances of the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 assault on Israel by the Palestinian militant organization Hamas.

The first candlelight vigils, memorials and marches to mark the anniversary were held in cities ranging from Tel Aviv to London, Paris and Berlin, with more set to be held around the world on Monday.

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

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

In London, thousands gathered in Hyde Park, waving Israeli flags and “bring them home” placards with faces of the hostages still held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

Photos of those killed on October 7 were shown on a big screen as attendees lit candles in their honour.

“We want to remember the people who have been brutally murdered and we want the world to remember,” Henry Grunwald, chair of the organising committee, told AFP.

Mandy Damari, whose daughter Emily was one of the 251 people taken hostage by Hamas, said her daughter was “full of life”.

“I need to hug her again and I need to see her smile”, she said, on the verge of tears.

In Berlin, around 650 people attended a commemoration on Saturday. Police said they had detained 26 people who shouted insults at participants.

In Paris, thousands of people gathered on Sunday to remember the victims of the attack.

“We’re here in support of Israel, the Israeli people, in memory of those who were killed and for those who were kidnapped” that day, Robert Zbili, the president of the National Jewish Fund, told AFP.

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

But in a video message and a post on X, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Daniel Meron, denounced the organisation for having failed to “pass a resolution holding Hamas and its supporters responsible”.

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The build-up to the anniversary has been marked by soaring tension, with fears the ongoing conflict could spiral into a wider war.

The October 7 attack resulted in the death of 1,205 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages killed in captivity.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,870 people in the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the territory’s health ministry and described as reliable by the United Nations.

 

The Eastern Updates 

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