Israeli President marks a year 'since life came to a halt' as IDF releases harrowing footage of October 7 massacre
7 October 2024, 07:13 | Updated: 7 October 2024, 10:38
Israeli President has marked a year "since life came to a halt" following the October 7 massacre in Israel - as the IDF released new footage of the horrific attack.
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One year after Hamas crossed the boarder into Israel, President Isaac Herzog marked the anniversary with a moving statement as families gathered for a vigil on the site of the massacre.
It comes as the family of Emily Damari, a still-missing Israeli-British hostage taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza by Hamas spoke of their heartbreak.
The attack on the Nova music festival at the Israeli kibbutz on October 7, 2023, left 1,200 Israelis dead - with 97 hostages still unaccounted for.
The one year anniversary was marked by a memorial service on Monday morning, with mourners, politicians and the families of hostages gathering at the site where the Nova music festival was held.
President Isaac Herzog said at the anniversary: "A year has passed since life came to a halt, the skies darkened, and all of us witnessed the monstrous cruelty of the enemy that sought to bring destruction upon the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and Israeli society."
IDF releases new footage of October 7th events
It comes as new video footage released by the IDF shows a civilian treating an injured soldier, as well as Hamas attempting to shoot down a drone filming him from above.
The newly-released footage shows fighters sheltering behind a building, while another shows a group of armed IDF forces taking on members of the terrorist group.
On Sunday, Sir Keir Starmer called on Brits to "stand with the Jewish community" as the PM reiterated calls for ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon.
The anniversary of the October 7 massacre in Israel saw the PM describe the attack as "the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust".
He added that "collective grief has not diminished" in the year since the atrocity.
Read more: IDF chief says Hamas is 'defeated' as Israel turns focus to Hezbollah after year of war in Gaza
During a visit to a north London synagogue on Monday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the anniversary of the October 7 attack was "a day of deep reflection and pain".
He told reporters in South Tottenham: "This is a painful day for the Jewish community across this country and across the diaspora."
"It is a day of deep reflection and pain thinking about October 7, the worst attack on the Jewish community since the Holocaust.
"And of course, thinking about the many hostages that are still held in Gaza and their loved ones and their pain.
"And particularly we think of Emily Damari, the British hostage, and her family have no word of her fate or how she is doing."
It coms as Israel's army chief claimed Hamas's military has been defeated in a statement as IDF turns focus to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Ahead of the anniversary, Israel increased bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon on Sunday.
Palestinian officials said one strike on a mosque sheltering displaced people killed at least 19 people near al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah, the hospital said in a statement.
Some 97 hostages remain unaccounted for following the tragic October 7 attack on the music festival which marked the start of the war.
Over the past 12 months, Mandy Damari, 63, the mother of hostage Emily Damari, has lobbied Israeli and British politicians for the safe return of her daughter.
She's the only British hostage believed to remain in the hands of the terrorist organisation.
Mandy said in a statement on the anniversary: "I would like to feel that the British public were behind her and the British government are behind her and they were saying there was a British hostage held captive in the terror tunnels by Hamas in Gaza.
"I want them to know that she's there and to advocate for her release unconditionally and immediately.
"She's a young woman who knows what's happening to her. If there's a way to put her on social media, see her out there, remind people that she's there, make sure she's not forgotten.
It comes as Israel's army chief said "Hamas's military has been defeated" in an IDF statement - as the military force switches its focus to fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said in a statement: "A year has passed, and we have defeated the military wing of Hamas [...]. We have dealt a severe blow to Hezbollah, which has lost all of its senior leadership."
It comes as Police launched an appeal to find a vandal who was filmed desecrating a memorial to the victims of the October 7 massacre.
The memorial in Hove, near Brighton in East Sussex, was filmed being damaged by a man in a beige tracksuit on Sunday.
No suspects have yet been arrested.
