Israel marks October 7 attack, hits Lebanon, Gaza

Mourners attend 1-year anniversary of Oct. 7 terrorist attack at the site of the Nova music festival

(Image credit: Kobi Wolf / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

published 7 October 2024

What happened

Israelis gathered Monday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas that sparked an escalating conflict in the Middle East. Israel ramped up its bombing of Lebanon over the weekend and launched a fresh attack in northern Gaza. Hezbollah fired missiles into Israel from Lebanon, injuring 10 people in Haifa and Tiberias.

Who said what

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the Oct. 7 attack a "scar on the face of the Earth" at a ceremony at the site of the Nova music festival, where Hamas killed more than 360 concertgoers and abducted dozens more.

Relatives of the remaining hostages gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence this morning and sounded a siren for two minutes, "replicating a custom from the the most solemn dates on the Israeli calendar, Holocaust Remembrance and Memorial Day," The Associated Press said. Netanyahu's government later today will broadcast a prerecorded state ceremony focusing on acts of bravery.

"No formal commemorative event is planned" in Gaza, the AP said. "The massive destruction and displacement are a constant reminder of the retaliatory Israeli assault on the territory, which has no end in sight."

What next?

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told CNN on Sunday that "everything is on the table" in the conflict. Israel "grabbed the initiative" last month when it hit Hezbollah with exploding pagers, "and it hasn't let go," The Washington Post said. But "experts in Israel and Washington are also asking: Now what?" The priority for those seeking peace "should be a cease-fire in Gaza," Jeremy Bowen said at the BBC. "This year of war started in Gaza. Perhaps it can end there too."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.