Israel marks one year since October 7

Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military has "completely transformed reality" in the year since Hamas' attacks. Meanwhile, fresh strikes rocked south Beirut, considered a Hezbollah stronghold. 

Hezbollah says 'no place for Israel' in the region

Hezbollah has said it attacked areas north of Israel's Haifa with a barrage of missiles. It was the second assault on Monday
after the group had earlier launched rockets on the northern Israeli port city.

The Lebanese Shiite militia said on Monday, in the context of the anniversary of the war in Gaza, that there is no place for Israel "in our region and in our social, cultural and human structure."

Hezbollah said the attack on October 7, 2023, by the Islamist group Hamas was a "heroic operation" that will have "historical implications and strategic consequences" for the Middle East.

The militant group also said it had attacked Israel on October 8, 2023, as an act of solidarity with Hamas, adding that it was standing on the "side of truth, justice and complete humanity" and was defending Lebanon.

The October 7, 2023 attacks resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, with some 250 more being taken hostage. Israel's retaliatory operations have killed more than 41,000 people in Gaza, according to UN figures.

'Not just an Israeli issue', hostage's brother tells DW
Michael Levy, the brother of hostage Or Levy, told DW that his family has not had any news of his brother since October 7. The army believes he is still alive, but "other than that, we don't have any more information."

Asked what he thought had to happen to secure his brother's relase, Levy said: "It's very simple, Israel and Hamas have to seal a deal. I believe that the international community has an obligation to make sure that happens."

Levy said it was not just an Israeli issue, because Hamas promised that they would carry out attacks "again and again and again, but next time in Berlin, next time in New York, and in London."

'We stand by your side,' Scholz tells Israel on October 7 anniversary
Speaking at an international conference in Hamburg, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his country's sympathy with the people of Israel.

"We feel with you the horror, the pain, the uncertainty and the sadness. We stand by your side," he said. "The Hamas terrorists must be fought."

At the same time, he highlighted the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, saying "people need hope and perspectives if they are to renounce terror."

"That's why the federal government is calling for a cease-fire, for the hostages to be freed, and for a political process, even if that seems more distant today than ever," he added.

He also shared an image on social media of a yellow ribbon in front of his office in Berlin, with the message "We share your grief."

Later on Monday, Scholz is set to attend a commemorative ceremony organized by the Jewish community of Hamburg.

Hamas armed wing says it targeted Tel Aviv

The armed wing of Hamas has said it fired a barrage of rockets at the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, as the country marked the one-year anniversary of the war in Gaza. 

AFP reported that the interception of several rockets were heard in Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial hub. 

The group, known as the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement that it had "struck deep into the occupation's territory, targeting the city of Tel Aviv with a barrage of M90 missiles as part of the ongoing war of attrition."

Israel's army said air raid sirens were activated in central Israel on Monday, after many rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip.

"Sirens sounded in central Israel due to projectiles fired from the Gaza Strip," said the army statement. A map posted by the Israeli army on X, formerly Twitter, showed areas in southern Tel Aviv where the sirens had been triggered.

Source: DW