On Monday, U.S. leaders marked the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel. In this photo, photographs of some of those taken hostage by Hamas during the attacks are seen on Oct. 18, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — U.S. leaders marked one year Monday since Hamas militants launched a shocking attack on Israel, murdering more than 1,000 civilians, taking hundreds prisoner and igniting an all-but-declared regional war and a deadly Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip that the U.S. has failed to halt despite months of cease-fire negotiations.
Demonstrations against Israel’s continued retaliatory bombing of the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory cropped up again ahead of the anniversary, including one man attempting to set himself on fire outside the White House Sunday during an otherwise peaceful protest.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation warned that synagogues, mosques and vigil gatherings could be targeted by violent extremists.
President Joe Biden lit a yahrzeit candle Monday at the White House alongside first lady Jill Biden and Rabbi Aaron Alexander of the Washington-based Adas Israel Congregation, who recited a Jewish prayer to honor those who died.
Biden also spoke by phone to Israeli President Isaac Herzog to express his condolences and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security, according to a White House readout of the call.
“On this day last year, the sun rose on what was supposed to be a joyous Jewish holiday. By sunset, October 7 had become the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Today marks one year of mourning for the more than 1,200 innocent people of all ages, including 46 Americans, massacred in southern Israel by the terrorist group Hamas,” Biden said in a statement early Monday, also acknowledging Hamas’ “horrific acts of sexual violence.”
Twelve Americans were among the hostages forcefully taken and still held by the militants, though many have died in captivity.
The past 12 months have been punctuated by protests against a U.S. surge in weapons to Israel since the attack. Health officials in Gaza say over 41,000 have been killed in the strikes that critics describe as indiscriminate to civilians, but Israel maintains are targeted at Hamas, an ally of Iran.
Prior to dropping his bid for reelection, Biden’s campaign events were regularly interrupted by demonstrators who accused the president of supporting “genocide” of Palestinians.
A pomegranate tree for hope
The chanting of protesters and sirens could be heard as Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff honored the Oct. 7 victims Monday by planting a pomegranate tree, an important symbol in the Jewish faith, at the vice president’s residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, according to reporters who were present.
Harris said during brief remarks that “we must uphold the commitment to repair the world” and “work to relieve the immense suffering of innocent Palestinians in Gaza who have experienced so much pain and loss over the year.”
“For years to come, this pomegranate tree will stand here, spreading its roots and growing stronger to remind future vice presidents of the United States, their families and all who pass through these grounds, not only of the horror of October 7, but the strength and the endurance of the Jewish people. It will remind us all not to abandon the goal of peace, dignity and security for all, and it will remind us all to always have faith,” Harris said.
Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of any U.S. president or vice president, said he is “still filled with pain and despair.”
In response to a shouted question about a cease-fire, Harris replied: “We’re not giving up. We’re doing everything we can possibly do to get the cease-fire hostage deal done. It’s one of the most important ways we will be able to end this war and bring any type of stability to the region. It’s one of the highest priorities of this administration.”
Earlier in the day Harris issued a statement saying she will “never forget the horror” that occurred on this day last year.
“Women raped on the side of the road. 250 people kidnapped. … What Hamas did that day was pure evil — it was brutal and sickening,” she said.
Harris has repeatedly said her commitment to Israel’s security is “unwavering.”
Schumer at Brooklyn synagogue
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York spent the morning at his synagogue in Brooklyn continuing to call for the release of hostages.
“When I went to Israel days after October 7th to express American solidarity with the Israeli people and Israel’s right to self-defense, we gathered with the families of American victims of Hamas’s attack. I will never forget the meeting. I still remember when one of the family members told me every minute is an hour, every day is a year not knowing the fate of their loved ones held in Hamas’s captivity,” Schumer said in a statement.
“We must not and we cannot waver in our efforts to bring the hostages home. It is long past time.”
Schumer, who on the Senate floor in March heavily criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of Israel’s retaliatory bombardment of Gaza, honored the death of American Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was murdered after nearly 11 months in captivity. Goldberg-Polin was taken hostage as Hamas militants terrorized and killed hundreds at a desert music festival as part of their surprise attack.
The Senate majority leader also listed the names of several of his New York constituents who remain in captivity, including three whose bodies Hamas hasn’t returned.
GOP slams Biden, Harris
The Republican National Committee hosted a “remembrance press call” ahead of former President Donald Trump’s attendance at an Oct. 7 memorial event in Miami, Florida, Monday night.
The call largely focused on blaming Biden and Harris for the gruesome Hamas attack and for the rise of antisemitism.
“None of this happened under President Trump when he was in office, because America was respected in the eyes of this world, and President Trump created peace through his strength, strong foreign policy,” Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, said.
The call featured former Democratic Florida Congressman Peter Deutsch announcing his endorsement of Trump for president.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said time “has not dulled the pain inflicted on the people of Israel one year ago today, nor eased the grief left in its wake.
“October 7th confronted the world with the irredeemable evil of Iran-backed terror, and drew emboldened strains of the world’s oldest hatred out of the shadows,” the Kentucky Republican continued in a statement issued Monday.
McConnell’s comments did not mention Biden, Harris or Trump.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson released a video featuring footage from the Hamas attack and clips of him shaking hands with Netanyahu when the Israeli leader visited the Capitol to address a joint session of Congress.
“The terror and antisemitism we’ve witnessed have demanded full resolve from America’s leaders, which is why Congress passed legislation in the spring to provide Israel with necessary military aid and support,” Johnson, of Louisiana, said in a statement.
“Today, at this critical time, following a second direct attack by Iran and ongoing terror from Hezbollah, Americans must insist that the Biden-Harris Administration stand unequivocally with Israel and against the terrorist regime in Iran, as we continue to pray for peace and security in Israel,” Johnson continued.
Johnson’s video also featured footage of protesters carrying Palestinian flags on college campuses, and of him speaking at Columbia University.
In the months following the Oct. 7 attack, House Republicans fixated on anti-war university encampments and demonstrations — some, but not all, of which featured blatant antisemitism and violence. The party continues to laud GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik’s heated questioning in December about antisemitism to University of Pennsylvania’s Liz Magill and Harvard’s Claudine Gay, which contributed to both the university presidents’ resignations.
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