Israel marks Oct 7 anniversary under shadow of war

Israelis gathered at the site of a music festival where militants killed and abducted revellers. (AP PHOTO)

Israelis have marked the first anniversary of the devastating Hamas attack that triggered a war which has sparked protest worldwide and risks igniting a far wider conflict in the Middle East.

Ceremonies and protests in Jerusalem and Israel's south on Monday began about 6.29am (2pm AEDT), the hour when Hamas-led militants launched rockets into Israel at the start of the October 7 attack last year.

They killed some 1200 people and took about 250 hostages to Gaza, according to Israeli figures.

Protest for the return of hostages outside the PM's home in Jerusalem
About 300 people led by families of hostages gathered at Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem.

Outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem, about 300 people led by families of hostages holding up photos of their loved ones, observed a minute of silence for the dead as a siren sounded.

"We're still stuck in October 7th, 2023, in one unending day of terror, of fear, of anger, of despair," said Yuval Baron, whose father-in-law Keith Siegel is hostage in Gaza.

"We wanted to start this day together to remind ourselves, our prime minister, the public of Israel that even though it is a day of grief there is still a holy mission to bring back the hostages," Baron said.

In Reim, the site of the music festival where more than 360 people were killed and dozens taken hostage, President Isaac Herzog presided over the memorial ceremony which began with the last track that was played at the party a year ago.

"We will remember always who kidnapped, who murdered, who raped, who slaughtered. At the same time, we have also seen extraordinary fortitude. We have a wonderful people and on this day we strengthen it and call for unity," Herzog said.

People at the site of the Nova music festival mark October 7
The music festival in Reim was where more than 360 people were killed and dozens were taken hostage.

Ceremonies were to take place at kibbutz villages and towns near the border throughout the day.

Security forces were on high alert across Israel, the occupied West Bank and war-torn Gaza, anticipating possible Palestinian attacks planned for the anniversary of the worst bloodletting in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict began.

In Gaza, the Israeli military said its aircraft foiled a rocket attack planned by Hamas.

The Hamas attack on Israeli communities around Gaza and Israel's relentless campaign in response have destabilised the Middle East while the scale of the killing and destruction have horrified people worldwide.

Vigils were also held outside Israel and demonstrations were expected against its offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has laid waste to the densely populated coastal enclave, killed almost 42,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and displaced most of the 2.3 million population.

Senai Guedalia tidies the grave of her husband, Sgt Yosef Guedalia
A woman tidies the grave of her husband who was killed in the October 7 attack on Israel.

For Israel, the surprise assault by the Palestinian Islamist group was one of the worst security failures for a country that prides itself on a strong, sophisticated military.

The attack led to Israel's single deadliest day, shattered many citizens' sense of security and sent their faith in its leaders to new lows.

Most of the dead were civilians, including women, children and elderly people, killed in their homes, on the roads and at the site of the open air Nova music festival - as well as soldiers on army bases near the Gaza border.

In Gaza, 101 hostages remain as Israeli forces press on with their mission to end Hamas's rule of the enclave and demolish its military capabilities.

But the focus of the war has increasingly shifted north to Lebanon where Israeli forces have been exchanging fire with Hezbollah since the Iranian-backed group launched a barrage of missiles in support of Hamas on October 8.

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