One year on from the October 7th terror attacks, commemorative events are taking place across Israel today, while Hamas terrorists continue to fire rockets from the Gaza Strip.
At least four projectiles were fired into Israel in the early hours, which Hamas claimed were targeted at “enemy gatherings.” Three of the projectiles were reportedly intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, while the fourth was found in an open area. Two women in the 30s were treated by paramedics after sustaining light wounds from shrapnel.
The world was today—on the anniversary of the October 7th terror attacks, which saw Hamas massacre more than 1,200 Israelis—sent another reminder of the Iran-backed terrorist organisation’s butchery, as an Israeli hostage previously believed to be alive in Hamas captivity was announced dead.
28-year-old Idan Shtivi was volunteering at the Nova music festival in Israel as a photographer when Hamas terrorists launched their sudden attack from the Gaza Strip. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced today that new intelligence findings had revealed Shtivi was murdered on October 7th last year and that his body “is still held captive by Hamas.”
97 hostages still have not been returned home to their families in Israel, including the bodies of 33 confirmed dead by the Israeli Defence Forces.
World leaders today released statements again condemning Hamas’ terror attacks. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described October 7th 2023, as “the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust.” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen added that “while we address the immediate crisis, the European Union is ready to help prepare for the day after.”
We will work in support of all efforts to set the conditions for a durable peace, leading to a two-state solution, where Israel and Palestine coexist side-by-side in peace, with security for both.
But officials have also spent recent weeks urging Israel to pause its fighting in the Middle East amid fears of a possible full regional war. Critics say that these calls are tantamount to pushing for the only democracy in the Middle East to surrender to terrorism, which would suggest that condemnations of Hamas’ butchery are fairly hollow. It is worth noting, for example, that French president Emmanuel Macron looked back on “the pain of the Israeli people” just days after said the West should disarm Israel.
Calls—such as by von der Leyen—for a ‘two-state solution’ have also raised sceptical eyebrows since Hamas—and pro-Palestine protesters alike—have made clear they will not be happy until Israel has been wiped off the map completely, “from the river to the sea.”
Security measures have been increased in a handful of European countries where there are fears of domestic threats posed by the anniversary of October 7th. Protesters marched through London over the weekend with banners reading “I love Hezbollah,” the terrorist organization whose leader was assassinated by Israeli forces last week, prompting airstrikes to be launched from Iran.
One UK home office source told Politico that “even if the fighting in the Middle East miraculously stopped today, the impact will still be felt for years over here. That’s why the anniversary of October 7th is deeply concerning for us, particularly considering the latest escalations.”
German police officials have also expressed “great concern” about pro-Palestine protests set for today.
This feeling appears to be shared across much of Europe, which Italy’s interior minister Matteo Piantedosi last week described as being on “high alert” for potential terror attacks.
