Israel observes the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack, paying tribute to the victims and emphasizing the ongoing efforts to ensure national security and peace.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has now lasted for a year. On the morning of October 7, during an important Jewish holiday, Hamas launched a surprise assault by firing thousands of rockets and deploying fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip.
On the night before the anniversary, Israel intensified its airstrikes on Gaza and Lebanon, resulting in fireballs and loud explosions that lit up Beirut’s darkened skyline.
On Saturday, the United Nations released a pre-recorded video statement from Secretary-General António Guterres to commemorate the anniversary of October 7. In his message, he urged for the “release” of hostages and called for an end to gun violence.
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the tragic events on October 7th, when Hamas initiated a large-scale terror attack in Israel that resulted in over 1,250 fatalities among Israelis and foreign nationals, including children and women. Additionally, more than 250 individuals were kidnapped and taken to Gaza, many of whom are women and children… “I have consistently voiced my concerns about this,” he stated. “It is now time for the hostages to be freed. Time to silence the guns. Time to end the suffering that has engulfed the region—a call for peace, international law, and justice.”
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Just days following accusations from Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who claimed that António Guterres was biased against Israel for not condemning Hamas’s attacks and the sexual violence perpetrated by its members, Guterres issued his statement.
Israel has long argued that the U.N. harbors bias and antisemitism, but following the Hamas attacks on October 7, tensions have increased markedly.
Nearly 100 Israeli hostages are still in Gaza, with fewer than 70 believed to be alive.
Today, Israel’s military announced that 726 soldiers have been killed over the past year in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war against Gaza.
This encompasses 380 fatalities from the October 7 attacks last year, as well as 346 deaths resulting from the subsequent ground invasion.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that over 41,000 Palestinians have died since the conflict began, without differentiating between combatants and civilians.
