Israel Marks Second Anniversary of Deadly Hamas Attack
Tuesday marks the second anniversary of the deadly Hamas terror attack in Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. Hundreds of people gathered at the site of the Nova music festival, where many of those people were killed or kidnapped, UPI reported.
Ceremonies were also held in Kfar Aza kibbutz and Nir Oz kibbutz, the community that suffered the greatest loss of life, with a quarter of its 400 residents killed or kidnapped.
In Tel Aviv, families of the 48 hostages still being held in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, gathered in Dizengoff Square.
No official events were scheduled because the anniversary will be marked with a national day of remembrance set for October 16. This was to avoid clashing with the seven-day Sukkot holiday, a Jewish version of a harvest festival or thanksgiving, which began on Monday.
The attacks were also marked at events in Europe and around the world. In Berlin’s Parisien Square, more than 1,000 faces of those killed and taken hostage were posted on chairs in front of the Brandenburg Gate in a memorial vigil organized by Germany’s Jewish Student Union.
French President Emmanuel Macron issued a statement of solidarity with the victims, 51 of whom held French citizenship, and demanded the immediate release of all hostages and a ceasefire.
“Two years after the unspeakable horror of Hamas terrorism, the pain remains deep,” he posted on social media. “We do not forget. We stand in solidarity with all the victims. We are working tirelessly for their release. We share the grief of the bereaved families and the anguish of those still waiting. Such an abomination must never happen again. Let us unite all our strength to fight antisemitism everywhere and to build peace.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the trauma remains raw today.
“Time does not diminish the evil we saw that day,” he said on social media. “The worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. The brutal, coldblooded torture and murder of Jews in their own homes. And the taking of hostages, including British citizens, some of whom remain in Gaza today.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ensured US support for Israel’s right to exist and exterminate Hamas.
Meanwhile, Hamas marked the day with a message recalling a “glorious day” in a video that hailed its leaders and gunmen as “heroes defending their religion and homeland.”
–Dwight Widaman
