Israelis mourn on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack as Palestinians live in devastated Gaza
Israelis mourn on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack as Palestinians live in devastated Gaza
NETANYA, Israel (AP) — Israelis gathered Wednesday to commemorate the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people, saw 251 taken hostage, and sparked a devastating war in Gaza that has devastated the territory and left its 2 million people living in dire conditions.
In southern Israel, families mourned at intersections, bomb shelters, and the site of a music festival that Hamas-led militants overran three years ago in the deadliest attack against Israel. It is the first anniversary that all the hostages are home, marking a new stage of grief.
For Palestinians, the anniversary brings another day of life of misery and difficulties after an Israeli retaliatory campaign in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people. Most of the population of about 2 million people live in vast, squalid tent camps, with large parts of the strip’s cities reduced to rubble. More than half the territory remains in the hands of the Israeli military, and despite a ceasefire deal reached nearly a year ago, Israeli strikes continue almost daily.
For the region, the day highlights a startling transformation over the past three years. Israeli troops occupy a large chunk of southern Lebanon in their conflict with Hezbollah, which began firing on Israel in 2023 in support of Hamas. Iran and the United States are locked in a confrontation that has seen attacks across Arab Gulf countries and has shaken the global economy — a conflict that Israel helped launch and that the Gaza war paved the way for even if they weren’t directly connected.
A released hostage marks his first Oct. 7
Elkana Bohbot, 37, is marking the anniversary in Israel for the first time, after being released from 738 days of captivity last year. For most of that time, he said, he was held 50 meters (165 feet) underground in a dark, damp tunnel.
Bohbot, who was abducted from the Nova music festival, was kept in a small cell with other hostages, given very little food, and allowed to bathe only every few weeks, he said. His captors forced him to take part in several propaganda videos, including one where he acts out a fake call to his family.
In the 11 months since his release, Bohbot has undergone physical and emotional rehabilitation, written a book, begun a speaking career, traveled with his family, and celebrated all the holidays and birthdays he missed.
In August, his wife, Rivka, gave birth to a daughter, fulfilling a fierce promise that Bohbot made to himself in the tunnels to give his 5-year-old son, Reem, a sibling.
The newborn Michele is “not a symbol for my people, she is more of a symbol for the enemy,” Bohbot told The Associated Press. “So this child is the message for you that we were here, and we will always be here forever.”
In Gaza, Palestinians struggle to recover
No events are expected on Wednesday in Gaza, where Israel’s offensive has devastated the narrow strip and displaced around 90% of its population, often multiple times. Restrictions on the entry of goods and aid have contributed to a severe hunger crisis.
More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its figures but says around half were women and children. The numbers from the ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.
While a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10 has halted the heaviest fighting, Israeli strikes have continued, targeting what Israel says are Hamas militants. Since the ceasefire, 1,145 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the ministry. Seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in that period.
Hamas portrayed the Oct. 7 attack as a response to decades of Israeli military occupation, land seizures and settlement construction. But the Palestinians’ dream of an independent state appears even more distant.
The anniversary comes to a radically altered Middle East
A contentious election in Israel at the end of the month hangs over this year’s anniversary. The government’s official memorial services took place on Oct. 5, closer to the Hebrew-calendar anniversary of the attack. The separate commemorations are indicative of the deep divisions over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war and his reluctance to launch an official inquiry into failings of the day.
The attack set in motion a cascade of events that led to wars across the Middle East as Israel confronted Hamas, Hezbollah and their backer Iran. Israel has seized swaths of territory in Syria and Lebanon, where more than 300,000 Lebanese remain displaced. The United States joined Israel in attacking Iran’s military and nuclear program in two rounds, battering Iran and upending global markets far from the battlefield.
Violence has also risen across the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israel’s far-right government has emboldened extremist settlers who have attacked Palestinians and destroyed their property.
The Tory leader has been seeking to reframe the way the public views her party, which has yet to recover in the polls since the last election.
SEOUL, Oct 7 (Reuters) – North Korea criticised the United States over its arms sales and military support for Taiwan, accusing Washington of fuelling tension in the Taiwan Strait, state news agency KCNA said on Wednesday. A KCNA commentary citing North Korean international affairs analyst Kim Myong Chol said US policy on Taiwan was undermining peace and stability in the region and condemned the appearance of US-sold fighter aircraft in Taiwan.
Phil Davies told BBC Wales the motion would not improve the lives of the Palestinian people.
The BBC speaks to experts about current US state sexual assault laws and why some believe changing them will help alleged victims.
STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences will award the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday in Stockholm.Last year, three scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their development of new molecular structures that can trap vast quantities of gas inside, laying the groundwork to potentially suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere or harvest moisture from desert environments.
Myanmar’s leader landed on Wednesday for his first visit to Malaysia since taking power in a 2021 coup, as Kuala Lumpur seeks his cooperation to return thousands of migrants.Min Aung Hlaing touched down at 0430 GMT at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, state media images showed, with the Myanmar leader descending the steps to a waiting car.
By Ananda Teresia JAKARTA, Oct 7 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s Constitutional Court has ruled that incomplete education documents submitted by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka before the 2024 election
BANGKOK, Oct 7 (Reuters) – Thailand’s weather agency on Wednesday forecast thundershowers and isolated heavy rain in and around Bangkok from October 10 to 12, as annual meetings of the International
ATHENS (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to call for the nations of the West to return to their civilizational roots and restore the values that drove the rise of Europe and North America to global dominance for centuries.In Athens to discuss deepening economic, energy and security cooperation with Greece, Rubio will deliver a speech later Wednesday near the ruins of the Acropolis, a widely recognizable symbol of the city’s ancient civilization associated with the creation of popular
By Enas Alashray and Mohammed Ghobari Oct 7 (Reuters) – Houthis attacked the international airport in the southern Yemeni town of Aden with ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones early on
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian attacked Ukraine’s capital with ballistic missiles overnight Wednesday, killing two people and damaging civilian infrastructure, according to Ukrainian officials.Explosions were heard across central Kyiv at around 3 a.
Jim Bakker co-founded The PTL Club with his then-wife Tammy Faye before being jailed for fraud and conspiracy.
South Korean activists campaigning for workplace safety in the nation’s booming semiconductor industry called on the government on Wednesday to recognise the cancer diagnoses of three former SK hynix employees as work-related illnesses.The husband of a former SK hynix worker who died from breast cancer called on the Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service to recognise his wife’s illness as work-related.
Iran’s Houthi allies deny that they’ve lost ground to Yemen’s Saudi-backed military, as oil prices ease despite the Middle East crisis erupting in a battle over control of another key waterway.
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Professors and staff at Cornell University pressed administration officials Tuesday as outrage builds over the alleged gang rape of a former student at a fraternity house in 2024, with questions raised about how the school and law enforcement responded as a new investigation of the case begins.
Russian authorities have sought to allay global worries over the death of a young woman who worked at a Siberian anti-plague laboratory. But moves to isolate her contacts and introduce new disease-control measures at local hospitals have raised concerns among people who fear they’re not being told the full story.
He says the vote about Zionism “has left many in the party feeling politically homeless”.
The theatre, which opened 13 years ago, will close at the end of this month.
Roxanne says finding the right school for her son, Franklin, who is autistic, feels “never ending”.
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