Israel marks 7 Oct anniversary under shadow of escalating war

Israelis on Monday marked the first anniversary of the devastating Hamas attack that triggered a war which has sparked protest worldwide and risks igniting a far wider conflict in the Middle East.

Ceremonies and protests in Jerusalem and Israel's south began around 06:29 a.m. (0329 GMT), the hour when Hamas launched rockets into Israel at the start of its Oct. 7 assault last year and burst across the border, rampaging through towns.

They killed some 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages to Gaza, according to Israeli figures.

Outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem, around 300 people led by families of hostages holding up photos of their loved ones, observed a minute of silence for the dead as a siren sounded.

"We're still stuck in October 7th, 2023, in one unending day of terror, of fear, of anger, of despair," said Yuval Baron, whose father-in-law Keith Siegel is hostage in Gaza.

"We wanted to start this day together to remind ourselves, our prime minister, the public of Israel that even though it is a day of grief there is still a holy mission to bring back the hostages," said Baron.

In Reim, the site of the music festival where more than 360 people were killed and dozens taken hostage, President Isaac Herzog presided over the memorial ceremony which began with the last track that was played at the party a year ago.

"We will remember always who kidnapped, who murdered, who raped, who slaughtered. At the same time, we have also seen extraordinary fortitude. We have a wonderful people and on this day we strengthen it and call for unity," said Herzog.

Ceremonies took place at kibbutz villages and towns near the border throughout the day.

In Tel Aviv, the main memorial organized by bereaved families, meant to have tens of thousands in attendance, was held in front of a much smaller crowd as gatherings around the country are now limited in size for security reasons.

Twice on Monday long-range missile fire set off air raid sirens in central Israel, sending residents running for shelter.

HIGH ALERT

Security forces were on high alert across the country, the military and police said, anticipating possible Palestinian attacks planned for the anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023, when the worst bloodletting in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict began.

Movement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was further hampered as many checkpoints shut down, residents said, and some Palestinians with entry permits received notices on their mobile phones that they would not be allowed into Israel on Monday.

In Gaza, the Israeli military said its aircraft foiled a rocket attack planned by Hamas.

The Hamas attack on Israeli communities around Gaza and Israel's relentless campaign in response have destabilised the Middle East while the scale of the killing and destruction have horrified people worldwide.

Vigils were also held outside Israel and demonstrations were expected against its offensive in the Gaza Strip which has laid waste to the densely populated coastal enclave, killed almost 42,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and displaced most of the 2.3 million population.

For Israel, the surprise assault by the Palestinian Islamist group was one of the worst security failures for a country that prides itself on a strong, sophisticated military.

The attack led to Israel's single deadliest day, shattered many citizens' sense of security and sent their faith in its leaders to new lows.

FOCUS SHIFTS TO NORTH

Most of the dead were civilians, including women, children and elderly people, killed in their homes, on the roads and at the site of the open air Nova music festival - as well as soldiers on army bases near the Gaza border.

In Gaza, 101 hostages remain as Israeli forces press on with their mission to end Hamas' rule of the enclave and demolish its military capabilities.

But the focus of the war has increasingly shifted north to Lebanon where Israeli forces have been exchanging fire with Hezbollah since the Iranian-backed group launched a barrage of missiles in support of Hamas on Oct. 8.

What began as limited daily exchanges has escalated into bombardments of Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut and a ground offensive into border villages designed to stamp out its fighters there and allow tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from their homes in the country's north to return.

Israel's assault, which has killed over 1,000 people in the past two weeks, has triggered a mass flight from southern Lebanon where more than 1 million people have been displaced.

A series of Israeli assassinations over the past few months which killed Hezbollah and Hamas chiefs and a sophisticated attack on Hezbollah via pagers and radioshave restored some sense of security for Israelis.

But they also prompted unprecedented missile attacks from Iran, raising fears of a regional war with a powerful enemy. Israel has yet to respond to the second Iranian barrage on Oct 1, but has vowed a harsh response.