THE First Minister has said a ceasefire in Gaza is needed “more than ever” as he commemorated one year since the October 7 attacks.
On October 7 last year, Hamas launched attacks into southern Israel, killing around 1200 people and taking 250 people hostage.
Around 100 hostages are still in Gaza, Israel has said, a third of whom are said to have died.
Since then, more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s ongoing attacks in Gaza, with around 2.3 million people displaced from their homes.
John Swinney (below) said Jewish communities across the world, including in Scotland, remain “deeply traumatised” by the attacks carried out by Hamas.
“As we remember those who died, I express my sympathy to the Jewish community and all those who mourn,” he added.
“I also remember the thousands of innocent people who have been killed in the crisis over the last year. Now more than ever, an immediate ceasefire is needed in Gaza, and the Middle East.
“As communities across Scotland reflect on the October 7 terrorist attacks and the subsequent loss of further innocent life that has followed, I pledge the unwavering support of my Government to ensure our communities remain united, that all communities are kept safe and that we live in a Scotland where people of all faiths, and none, can live in peace.”
Meanwhile, Keir Starmer (below) said October 7 was “the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust”.
He said: “Over 1000 people were brutally murdered. Men, women, children and babies killed, mutilated, and tortured by the terrorists of Hamas.
“Jewish people murdered whilst protecting their families. Young people massacred at a music festival. People abducted from their homes.
“Agonising reports of rape, torture and brutality beyond comprehension which continued to emerge days and weeks later.
“As a father, a husband, a son, a brother – meeting the families of those who lost their loved ones last week was unimaginable. Their grief and pain are ours, and it is shared in homes across the land.”
The Prime Minister added that “we must never look the other way in the face of hate”. He reiterated calls for an “immediate ceasefire” both in Gaza and Lebanon, and for the removal of all restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
He continued: “We will not falter in our pursuit of peace and on this day of pain and sorrow, we honour those we lost and continue in our determination to return those still held hostage, help those who are suffering, and secure a better future for the Middle East.”
It comes as the Israeli military said projectiles fired from Gaza on Monday set off sirens in central Tel Aviv.
Israelis flocked to ceremonies, cemeteries and memorial sites around the country to commemorate the attacks.
At 6.29am – the exact minute Hamas launched its attack (4.29am BST) – the families of those killed at the Nova music festival, joined by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, gathered at the site where almost 400 revellers were gunned down, with many others taken hostage.
After briefly playing the same trance music that was blared during the festival, hundreds of family members and friends of the victims stood for a moment of silence.
At 6.31am (4.31am BST), the Israeli military said four projectiles were launched from Gaza toward the same communities that came under fierce assault last year.
The ceremony was not disrupted and there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.
No formal commemorative event is planned in Gaza, as the territory faces massive destruction and displacement as a result of the ongoing Israeli assault.
