By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
GAZA CITY/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel woke up grieving as the Jewish nation began its national day of mourning, marking the 1st anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre on Sunday, just hours after the Israeli military targeted Hamas in Gaza in deadly air strikes.
The government approved the “National Day of Mourning” on the Hebrew calendar in mid-October 2024 for a one-year commemoration.
As the massacre of 1,200 people, including babies and raped women, occurred on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, during which state ceremonies are not held, the day of mourning was postponed to appear on Sunday, October 27, Israeli sources said.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi published an official letter saying, “Today, we honor the memory of those who fell on the day the war broke out and throughout this year of fighting.”
The mourning began after Israeli strikes on northern Gaza killed at least 22 people, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza claimed early Sunday.
WOMEN, CHILDREN
It said that 11 women and two children were among those killed in the strikes late Saturday in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, but it recently announced it was targeting regrouped Hamas fighters.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also accused Hamas of hiding among civilians to use them as human shields.
Hamas-rum authorities say some 43,000 Palestinians were killed in the Israel-Hamas in Gaza, but it does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
Israel says about half of those reported killed were “terrorists” of Iran-backed Hamas.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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