On the occasion of the second anniversary of the attack launched by the Hamas movement on Israel on October 7, 2023, flags were flown at half-mast across Germany on Tuesday, and vigils were organized against “anti-Semitism,” with dialogues being held with Jewish citizens.
During a visit to a Jewish synagogue in the city of Leipzig, eastern Germany, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: “Our thoughts are with the victims of October 7, 2023 and with the hostages who are still in the hands of terrorists,” according to what was reported by the German News Agency.
The Hamas attack led to the death of about 1,200 people in Israel, in addition to taking more than 250 people hostage in the Gaza Strip. As a result, Israel launched a large-scale war on the coastal Strip that resulted in the killing of more than 67,000 Palestinians, including a large number of women and children.
The Gaza Strip has also been suffering from a war of starvation for many months after Israel imposed a stifling siege on the Gaza Strip, preventing the entry of food supplies, drinking water, and medicines to the civilian population in Gaza.
In turn, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described this day as a “black day” in the history books of the Jewish people.
At the Brandenburg Gate in the capital, Berlin, a ceremony was held in the early morning hours to recite the names of those killed in the attack, after which 1,100 vacant chairs were placed representing those killed in the attack, and the phrase “Bring them home now” was written in lights on the gate, in a call for the release of Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip.
Other German cities also witnessed similar events, such as Hamburg Municipal Square, where the city’s mayor, Peter Tschencher, expressed his solidarity.
Berlin police accompanied the anniversary activities with about 1,500 security personnel.
Shortly before its scheduled time, police in Berlin prevented a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel demonstration that was scheduled to be held in Alexanderplatz, justifying this by saying that they expected the demonstration to be violent.
Despite the ban, many demonstrators gathered in the evening near the site. The police reported clashes, skirmishes, and arrests during loudspeaker calls for them to disperse.
During his visit to the synagogue, the German President expressed his feeling of “deep concern” about the suffering of civilians in Gaza, but he stressed that criticizing Israel’s policy cannot be a justification for violations and attacks, and said: “Whoever threatens or attacks Jewish women and men is attacking all of us.” We will not accept that.”
