NEW YORK (AP) – Commemorations and protests took place around the world Monday to commemorate Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel. It was the attack that sparked a war that devastated the Hamas-held Gaza Strip and fueled hostilities and bloodshed. It also affected other Middle Eastern countries, sparking protests and divisions in far-flung countries.
Last year, about 1,200 people were killed in cross-border raids by Hamas militants. Another 250 people were taken hostage. About 100 people remain captive, many of whom are feared dead. The attack, which took place on a major Jewish holiday, shattered Israelis’ sense of security and left the world facing the possibility of a major conflict in the Middle East.
Israel has fought a war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, which has left more than 41,000 people dead and some 1.9 million displaced. Conflict is growing in the region, with Israel now also fighting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and facing a growing threat from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who support Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. It is battling an escalating conflict with Iran.
The war between Hamas and Israel has also sparked demonstrations and tensions in many areas of the United States, including university campuses and major cities. In New York, hundreds of protesters chanted “Free, Free Palestine” and held placards with messages such as “ceasefire now” on the streets near the New York Stock Exchange early Monday afternoon. Unfurled a large Palestinian flag. Some counter-protesters carried Israeli flags.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators began a march expected to last several hours in Manhattan, joining a group of hundreds more demonstrators in a downtown park.
Meanwhile, a large memorial service was planned in Central Park later Monday for those killed in the Hamas attack a year ago. The mayor and governor of New York were also scheduled to attend.
At the Weizmann National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, Gov. Josh Shapiro viewed an exhibit about the Tribe of Nova music festival in Reims, Israel, where hundreds of people were killed.
“I hope people leave here with knowledge and understanding of what actually happened, because in some segments of our society, that kind of knowledge is not available,” said Shapiro, a Democrat. Because I don’t think there is.” He added that he hoped visitors would be “more tolerant, a little more understanding and more committed to finding peace in our society and around the world.”
European countries, home to many Jewish and Muslim communities, have sought to quell both anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim sentiment.
The German Chancellery in Berlin was decorated Monday with yellow ribbons in memory of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. About 100 of them are still being held, and many are feared dead. In front of the Brandenburg Gate, the names of those killed and kidnapped in attacks on Israel were read out.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Germany’s “dear friends of Israel” that “we feel with you… we are with you.” Scholz also pointed out the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza at the Hamburg conference.
In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has expressed strong support for Israel, visited Rome’s main synagogue. She insisted on Israel’s respect for international law and deplored the devastation caused by Israeli forces in Gaza, while reaffirming Israel’s right to defend itself.
She denounced the “latent and rampant anti-Semitism” that has arisen since the Hamas attack, citing in particular the pro-Palestinian protests in Italy last weekend, some of which turned violent.
French President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris with hostages and relatives of those killed in the October 7 attacks. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault attended the memorial service held at the Nova Music Festival venue.
The Vatican marked the anniversary of the attack by featuring a collection for Gaza residents and publishing a letter from Pope Francis expressing solidarity with Catholics in the region.
In Poland’s capital, Warsaw, the Jewish community paid tribute to Polish-born Holocaust historian Alex Dansig, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz and murdered by Hamas on October 7.
In Australia, thousands of people attended vigils in Sydney and Melbourne to remember those killed on October 7, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also attending the latter event. Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters rallied in Australian cities on Sunday, and on Monday night they marched to Sydney City Hall under heavy police presence to commemorate the lives of Palestinians lost in the conflict. Hundreds of people gathered to protect it.
In Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, schoolchildren took part in a rally on Monday organized by the Pakistan Markazi Islamic League party to protest Israeli airstrikes in the Middle East and to show solidarity with Palestinians living in Gaza and Lebanon.
Japanese authorities demanded the immediate release of all hostages and expressed condolences to Israelis who lost family members in Hamas attacks.
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Vejpongsa reported from Philadelphia and Spike from Budapest, Hungary. Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York, Gail Moulson in Berlin, Diane Jeante in Paris, Nicole Winfield in Rome, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Vanessa Gera in Warsaw and New Zealand Charlotte Graham-McRae in Wellington contributed to this report.
