Israel marks one year since October 7 Hamas massacre with flags at half-mast; videos go viral (WATCH)

On the morning of October 7, 2024, Israel marked the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack with flags lowered to half-mast throughout the country.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Oct 7, 2024, 11:13 AM IST | Last Updated Oct 7, 2024, 11:13 AM IST

On the morning of October 7, 2024, Israel marked the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack with flags lowered to half-mast throughout the country. The observance began at precisely 06:29 AM, accompanied by a moment of silence in the Knesset courtyard.

In a post on X, Amir Ohana, Speaker of the Knesset, stated, "This morning, at exactly 06:29, in silence, The flags in the Knesset Square were lowered to half-mast. Let the people of Israel remember his sons and daughters, the faithful and the brave, Israel Defense Forces, and all the underground fighters and the fighting divisions in the people's formations, and community members of the informant, the security, the police and the prison service, who sacrificed their lives in the war for the rise of Israel, And everyone who was murdered in the country and outside of it at the hands of murderers from the terrorist organizations."

Also read: Israel foils major Hamas rocket barrage on October 7 anniversary, IDF says 'thwarted immediate threat'

"Israel will be remembered and his seed will be blessed and the unknown will mourn for him. and the greed of heroism and the holiness of the will and the dedication of the soul of those who perished in the heavy battle. Israel's armies will be crowned with victory Sealed in the heart of Israel for generations," he further wrote.

As part of the ongoing tensions, the armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, announced that it had launched rockets into southern Israel on Monday morning, targeting what they termed "enemy gatherings" at various locations, including the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings, as well as kibbutz Holit near the Gaza border.

In response, the Israeli military stated that it had "thwarted an immediate threat" from Hamas by conducting airstrikes on "launching positions and an underground route" used by Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip.

According to military reports, over the past year, Israel has carried out extensive operations in the Gaza Strip, bombing more than 40,000 targets and identifying 4,700 tunnel shafts, in addition to destroying 1,000 rocket launcher sites. The military also released casualty figures, stating that 726 Israeli soldiers have died since the October 7 attacks, with 380 killed on that day alone and an additional 346 in subsequent combat operations in Gaza starting October 27, 2023. Moreover, 4,576 soldiers have sustained injuries during this period, with 56 fatalities attributed to operational accidents.

Also read: 40,000 Hamas targets bombed in Gaza so far: Israel on high alert on 1st anniversary of October 7 massacre

The military further indicated that it has mobilized around 300,000 reservists since the war commenced, with a demographic breakdown showing 82% men and 18% women, nearly half of whom are aged between 20 and 29. Since the onset of the conflict, the military has reported that approximately 13,200 rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel, with additional projectiles coming from Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran.

In its operations beyond Gaza, Israeli forces have claimed to have killed more than 800 "terrorists" in Lebanon and struck approximately 4,900 targets from the air, along with 6,000 ground targets. In addition, over 5,000 individuals have been arrested in the West Bank and Jordan Valley during this period, while eight brigade commanders, around 30 battalion commanders, and 165 company commanders from Gaza militant groups have been reportedly killed.

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