Countries commemorate first anniversary of Hamas attack on Israel

Last year’s surprise cross-border attack, which killed about 1,200 people, caught Israel unprepared on a major Jewish holiday, shattering Israelis’ sense of security and leaving many countries, already on edge over Russia’s war in Ukraine, facing the prospect of another major conflict in the Middle East.

The nations of Europe, home to many Jewish and Muslim communities, have sought to tamp down both antisemitic and anti-Muslim sentiment in the wake of the Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent war against the militants in Gaza, which has killed over 41,000 people and displaced around 1.9 million in the embattled coastal territory.

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.

Francis made no mention of Israel, Hamas or the hostages in the letter dated October 7.

He referred to the “fuse of hatred” being ignited one year ago and the spiral of violence that has ensued, insisting that what is needed is dialogue and peace.

“I am with you, the people of Gaza, long embattled and in dire straits. You are in my thoughts and prayers daily,” he wrote.

After some comments that upset Israel early on in the conflict, Francis has usually tried to strike an even tone. But he recently suggested Israel was using disproportionate and “immoral” force in Lebanon and Gaza.

He said he was particularly close to those who have been forced to flee their homes to find refuge from bombing, to the mothers weeping over their dead children and those “who are afraid to look up for fear of fire raining down from the skies.”

The German chancellery in Berlin was adorned 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 starting at 5.29am local time in Germany, when Hamas’ onslaught began a year ago.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a video message on Sunday that “with its abhorrent attack on Israel, Hamas at the same time caused a catastrophe for the Palestinian people”.

He stressed the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and international efforts to avoid an even wider Mideast conflagration.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who has voiced strong support for Israel, commemorated the October 7 anniversary by visiting the main synagogue in Rome and reaffirming Israel’s right to defend itself.

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.

While asserting Israel’s lights to live safely within its borders, Ms Meloni insisted it respect international law and lamented the devastation unleashed by Israeli forces in Gaza.

She said Palestinians in Gaza had been “victims twice over: first of Hamas’ cynicism, which uses them as human shields, and then of Israeli military operations”.

A mural in Milan depicting a survivor escaping the Hamas attack was vandalised on Monday. Vandals erased the figure’s head and legs from the mural near Milan’s state university.

The Antisemitism Observatory in Milan said the vandalism is an example of rising and “overpowering” antisemitism in Italy.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on social media: “The pain remains, as vivid as it was a year ago. The pain of the Israeli people. Ours. The pain of wounded humanity.

“We do not forget the victims, the hostages, or the families with broken hearts from absence or waiting. I send them our fraternal thoughts.”

Later, Mr Macron held meetings with the families of two French nationals who are being held hostage in the Gaza Strip and families of victims of the October 7 attacks living in France, his office said.

Mr Macron said France will do “everything possible” to push for a ceasefire and an agreement that would allow the release of Ohad Yahalomi and Ofer Kalderon, the French hostages, as a priority, the statement said.

French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot attended a memorial service at the site of the Nova music festival, in Re’im, Israel, where hundreds were killed.

Speaking to the families of victims, he expressed France’s support in the face of “the worst antisemitic massacre in our history since the Holocaust”.

“The joyful dawn of what should have been a day of celebration was suddenly torn apart by unspeakable horror,” he said.

In Prague, hundreds of people with Israeli flags gathered at the Old Town Square at the heart of the Czech capital to honour the victims of Hamas’s attack.

“On this day, we don’t just mourn, but we’re also aware that it’s necessary to do everything to give such attacks no chance to happen again,” Petr Papousek, the head of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, said in his address.

“Israel will always strive for the world without violence in which people live without fear of terror,” Mr Papousek said.

He said that their gathering “reminds us that hope is stronger than fear and love is stronger that hate.”

Commemorations were planned in France, Belgium, Spain, Austria and Hungary, while leading European politicians were also expected to take part in remembering those killed and kidnapped.

The European Parliament is holding a plenary session in Strasbourg, France, marking the anniversary, with the parliament’s president, Roberta Metsola, to address lawmakers.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attended a ceremony at a synagogue in Brussels.

Former US president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are marking the first anniversary as the presidential candidates approach the final weeks of the campaign during the widening conflict in the Middle East.

Mr Trump will speak before Jewish community leaders at one of his Florida resorts in the Miami suburb of Doral.

Ms Harris will briefly speak to journalists and plant a pomegranate tree with her husband on the grounds of the vice president’s residence in honour of the 1,200 people, including 46 US citizens, who were killed in the October 7 attack.

Ms Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, will recite a prayer at an event to commemorate the anniversary with the American Jewish Committee.

In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended a vigil in Melbourne, where he walked with members of the Jewish community and lawmakers from across party lines. Thousands attended the vigil.

Earlier in the morning, Mr Albanese said the day carried “terrible pain,” and that his government “unequivocally” condemned Hamas’ actions.

“Since the atrocities of October 7, Jewish Australians have felt the cold shadows of antisemitism reaching into the present day, and as a nation we say never again,” he said. “We unequivocally condemn all prejudice and hatred.”

In Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi, schoolchildren took part in a rally organised by the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League party to protest against Israeli air strikes in the Middle East and show solidarity with Palestinian people living in Gaza and Lebanon.

Japanese officials expressed condolences to the Israelis who lost family members in the Hamas attacks, renewing their condemnation of terrorism and demanding the immediate release of all hostages.

Chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that Japan is seriously concerned about the continuing critical humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and urged all parties including Israel to comply with international humanitarian law and work toward a ceasefire.