In a wave of global tributes, world leaders are uniting in grief today to mark the third anniversary of the October 7 attack that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 people being taken hostage.
With international heads of state honouring the victims and condemning the attacks that shook the world exactly three years ago, the high-profile memorials highlighted an ongoing crisis across the globe.
Voicing his anger against terrorist activities, German chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to fight antisemitism in Germany and continue to advocate for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
In his message, Merz said his country was witnessing rising antisemitism “that far too often goes unchallenged” and that his government “will do everything in its power” to combat it.
“Germany stands firmly by Israel’s side. Our Israeli friends can count on our commitment to ensuring that such a crime never happens again,” he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron said his country ‘shares the grief of Israel and the bereaved families’. “We do not forget the names or the faces: those of Maya, Ohad, Valentin, and so many others,” he said.
“Combating antisemitism and terrorism, everywhere and always, working for peace and the security of all: that is France’s commitment.”
On bis part, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country stands with the Jewish community both at home and abroad as he reflected on the Bondi beach attack in December that killed 10 people.
“For so many, no day since has been easy, but anniversaries fall with their own terrible weight,” he said in a statement.
“And for many others, what compounds the pain is the approach of the first anniversary of the antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach. These few years have been hard beyond measure.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU “stands with all those whose lives were forever changed by that day”.
She added that the bloc “remains ready to help turn today’s fragile ceasefire into a durable peace, based on a two-state solution”.
Elsewhere in Israel, protesters against what they view as a lack of accountability for the security failure gathered outside parliament in Jerusalem, blaming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for refusing an independent inquiry into the attack.
Some protesters held signs reading: “The people will remember October 7 on October 27,” a reference to an Israeli general election 20 days away that is being viewed as a referendum on Netanyahu’s long tenure in power.
“We need the change and we need hope and we need to know that we have a government that cares about the public and doesn’t work also only for themselves,” said protester Shaked Arrad.
“We Will Never Forget This Barbaric Act” – Rubio
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his country “will never forget this act of barbarism against an ally” in his message to mark the anniversary of the 7 October attack in Israel.
In a post on X, he said: “Three years ago today, Hamas terrorists tortured, mutilated, and murdered 1,200 innocent civilians in Israel.
“Among those slain were men, women, and children, including dozens of Americans. We will never forget this act of barbarism against an ally and recommit ourselves to the defense of civilization.”
