Memorials and vigils are being held across Germany on Monday as the world marked the first anniversary of the unprecedented terrorist attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Activists gathered at the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin to read the names of 1,170 people who were killed and 255 who were abducted in Israel on October 7, 2023.
The commemoration began at 5:29 am (0329 GMT) as part of a coordinated effort taking place simultaneously in dozens of cities worldwide, marking the moment the attack started.
Organizers said the aim of the event was to “share the grief of the Jewish people, stand in solidarity with the Jewish state regardless of current politics, and raise voices against anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.”
Later, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected to speak at an interfaith service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin.
Participants will then walk in silence to the nearby Jewish Community Centre. An additional memorial event is due to take place in front of the building.
In Hamburg, a memorial ceremony is planned at the Hohe Weide Synagogue, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also make a statement.
Further services are planned across many other cities, including at the Ohel Jakob Synagogue in Munich.
Several pro-Palestinian rallies are also to be held in cities including Berlin, where a demonstration protesting the war in Gaza – which broke out following the October 7 attacks – was closed down on Sunday after some of the 3,500 participants clashed with police.
Authorities in the German capital have deployed more than 2,000 officers on Monday in an effort to secure the vigils and keep the peace.
Hamas’ assault on communities and a music festival in southern Israel is considered to be the worst mass attack on Jews since the crimes of the Nazi era.
Around 100 hostages taken by the terrorist group are believed to remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip, although it is unclear whether they are still alive.
Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, leading to international condemnation and fears of a regional escalation that have only worsened amid the Israeli military’s recent offensive in Lebanon and a barrage of missiles fired at Israel from Iran.
The aftermath of October 7 has proved particularly sensitive in Germany, which sees Israel’s security as a “reason of state” – a phrase alluding to Berlin’s historical responsibility to the Jewish community and the state of Israel following the Holocaust.
However, the country’s significant Muslim minority and pro-Palestinian activists have been alienated by what they perceive as the German government’s failure to address the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
