A year later, leaders, particularly Western ones, reiterated on Monday their ” horror “ in memory of the attacks “atrocious” committed by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023 and their commitment to peace, the fate of the Palestinians continuing to spark protests across the world.
From Amsterdam to Tokyo, via Ankara, numerous declarations as well as demonstrations, at the initiative of the Jewish community but also of pro-Palestinian sympathizers, marked the anniversary of this day of massacres, the deadliest in the history of the Hebrew state.
It took the country by surprise on a Jewish religious holiday and led to the deaths of 1,205 people, followed by a devastating Israeli war in the Gaza Strip which left nearly 42,000 dead and the opening of another front in Lebanon. mid-September targeting pro-Iranian Hezbollah.
US President Joe Biden said “totally committed” for the “security of Israel”.
“History will also remember October 7 as a dark day for the Palestinians because of the conflict that Hamas started that day”he added.
Japan has “unequivocally condemned” the Hamas attack while saying “gravely concerned about the critical humanitarian situation that persists in the Gaza Strip”.
“Israel will sooner or later pay the price for the genocide it has been committing for a year and continues”wrote Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a message posted on X.
In the Netherlands, where a giant Israeli flag is to be unfurled in a large square in Amsterdam, pro-Palestinian demonstrations are also expected, with sit-ins in several train stations.
Demonstrations in the Philippines to denounce Israel’s military response to Gaza in Manila on October 7, 2024 / JAM STA ROSA / AFP
In several Asian countries, from the Philippines to India in particular, Palestinian flags or signs denouncing the martyrdom of Gaza were brandished by demonstrators.
“Spiral of violence”
In London, the new British Prime Minister, Labor Keir Starmer, spoke of a “day of pain and sorrow”. “We will not waver in our quest for peace”he assured.
In Rome, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni went to the Great Synagogue of Rome and stressed that these ceremonies were not “not a simple ritual” but one “prerequisite for bringing peace”. She was concerned about anti-Semitism, according to her, “latent and creeping”.
British Foreign Minister David Lammy (center right) in a synagogue in London on October 7, 2024 / Dan Kitwood / POOL/AFP
“One year after the horrific terrorist attacks of October 7, we do not forget”underlined sur X le Premier ministre grec Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
In a message to Catholics in the Middle East, Pope Francis blasted “the shameful incapacity of the international community and the great powers” to obtain a ceasefire.
“A year ago, the fuse of hatred was lit. It did not die out, but ignited in a spiral of violence”he lamented.
Spanish diplomacy reiterated “his strong condemnation of the atrocious terrorist attacks by Hamas” while calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and a “two-state solution”.
“We share your pain”German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted in Hebrew, accompanying his message with a photo of the facade of the Chancellery in Berlin, displaying a drawing of the yellow ribbon which symbolizes solidarity with the hostages and their families.
In France, several ministers and some 4,000 people are expected Monday evening in Paris for a tribute ceremony organized by the Jewish community.
“Scar on humanity”
“The pain remains as acute as it was a year ago”underlined President Emmanuel Macron on X. The day before, after calling for a halt to certain arms deliveries to Israel, he sought to dispel the unease with Israel.
Members of Australia’s Jewish community gathered for a remembrance ceremony in Sydney on October 7, 2024 / DAVID GRAY / AFP
His Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot was present in Israel in Réïm on Monday.
“France is unfailingly attached” to the security of Israel, it “weep alongside Israel, our compatriots” killed, and “will never stop demanding the unconditional release of the hostages”he declared, after placing 48 white roses in memory of the 48 French victims.
Of the 251 people kidnapped, 97 are still hostages in Gaza, 34 of whom are considered dead by Israeli authorities.
It was in Reïm, on the site of a rave party where at least 370 participants were massacred last year, that Israel began its ceremonies at 6:29 a.m. (03:29 GMT).
French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot at the ceremony honoring the victims of Hamas near Réïm in Israel, October 7, 2024 / AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called on the world to “support Israel in its fight against its enemies”.
October 7 leaves “a scar on humanity”he said, while Israel announced the commitment since Sunday of a third division on the ground in southern Lebanon.
Israel is changing ” reality “ on the ground so that there are no more October 7s, added Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The October 7 attack brought Israel back to “square one and threatened its existence”for his part welcomed an official and former leader of Hamas, Khaled Mechaal, on the Al Arabiya channel.
Lebanese Hezbollah, which Israel is fighting in Lebanon, said Monday it would continue to fight “aggression” of Israel, which he described as an entity “cancerous” to be “eliminated” in the long term.