As the anniversary of October 7 approaches on Monday, Israel is bracing for possible terrorist attacks, including the firing of long-range rockets from Gaza.
A gunman burst into a central bus stop in the southern city of Beersheba on Sunday, injuring at least seven people who later died. (update: One person was reported killed and 10 injured. ) The country remains on high alert against similar attacks.
Meanwhile, Israelis are making various preparations to commemorate the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack that sparked a year-long war.
This war changed Israel's security situation. In Gaza, most of Hamas was destroyed. Hezbollah is being dismantled in Lebanon. Israel's air defenses have absorbed attacks from Iran and responded to attacks from as far away as Yemen.
But the hole in the hearts of Israelis and Jews around the world may never be completely filled.
In Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest-hit communities, survivors and families of the victims will hold a special ceremony on Monday. President Isaac Herzog, a coalition leader, will be touring the affected areas for three days.
Mr. Herzog issued the following message to people around the world commemorating this day:
Dear sisters and brothers around the world, Shalom, I reach you from the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem.
Today marks one full year since the earth shook as humanity's worst atrocities and hatred tore apart our sense of safety and changed our world forever. One year since our women, children and elderly were cornered in their beds, burned to death, beheaded, raped and shot to death. One year has passed since a gathering of beautiful young people turned into a scene of massacre, torture, and death. One year has passed since hundreds of citizens were brutally imprisoned for life or death.
And, we must be honest, here and now, when the passage of time should bring peace and some sense of closure, the earth is still shaking. Our wounds have not yet completely healed and are ongoing. Hostages are still being tortured, executed, and left to die in captivity. Because right now, they and their families are living with the sense of loss and fear of October 7th. Because tens of thousands of families are still unable to return home. In many ways, we are all still living in the aftermath of October 7th.
It is everywhere in our country.
The same goes for the anti-Semitism that has raged around the world in the wake of the war with Hamas.
The threat to the Jewish state continues from Iran and its proxies, who are blinded by hatred and bent on destroying the only Jewish state.
It is a tangible fear, uncertainty and anxiety about the future, all of which are still here with us.
But guys, the boundaries we can make in time to remember still mean a lot. This time, a year later, is an invitation to approach the pain and grief, to look at it with open eyes and an open heart, and to remember what we have lost. It also reminds us of who we are. The power to stand up against hatred again and again. To rise from the ashes of tragedy. To fight, survive, heal and rebuild. And the truth is that this year, with so much heartbreak and devastation that has affected our Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Druze, as well as our Jewish and other friends around the world, we We are forced to return to core truths. our ethnicity. This forces us to reconnect with each other and recommit to the path of self-reflection, collective responsibility and social justice that is our national spiritual heritage.
And we have truly been there for each other this year in a beautiful expression of love and togetherness. We have not given up our deep longing and desire for peace with our neighbors. And we continue to have this intention today, even as we assert that we have the right to feel safe and secure as Jews, regardless of where on earth we live.
So, my friends, we will come out of this difficult time, overcome hatred, and rebuild. With the vitality that has defined us, we will come together to recover and rebuild again and again.
Inspired by the bravery and beauty of all we have lost, we believe that a better world is possible.
I would like to end my words with a prayer, hoping that in this spirit we will be strengthened and receive the blessings of peace. Adonai Oz Ramo Eten. Adonai Ivalek et Amo, Bashalom. (May God give strength to all his people. May God bless his people with peace.)
Elected leaders and Jewish communities around the world are preparing to mark this anniversary.
MANCHESTER, UK – OCTOBER 6: People march with Israeli flags as British Jewish organizations mark the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack in Manchester, England on October 6, 2024. On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants launched a coordinated armed attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. 1,195 people were killed, including 815 civilians, and 251 people were taken hostage. The actions and retaliation by Israel began the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are planning at least one large rally in support of the October 7 attacks in New York City.
Approximately 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attack. Nearly 50 more people were killed by Hezbollah in the north, triggering the current phase of the war in which Israeli soldiers are eradicating Hezbollah bases in southern Lebanon.
Of the original 253, 97 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza. Of those, 33 are presumed dead. Some people were rescued. A week-long ceasefire in November that was broken by Hamas resulted in the release of more than 100 people, most of them women and children.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
