Israel Marks Oct. 7 Anniversary Under Shadow of Escalating War

REIM, Israel, Oct 7 (Reuters) – 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 were scheduled to begin around 06:29 a.m., the hour when Hamas-led militants launched rockets into Israel at the start of the Oct. 7 attack last year.

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

Security forces were on high alert across the country on Monday, 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.

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.

Outside Israel, demonstrations are expected around the world against its offensive in the Gaza Strip which has laid waste 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.

Most of the dead were civilians, including women, children and elderly people, killed in their homes, on the roads and at the site of an open air 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.