West Asia crisis LIVE: Commemorations begin for anniversary of October 7 Hamas attack on Israel

The United States has spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since the war in Gaza began and led to escalating conflict around the Middle East, according to a report for Brown University’s Costs of War project, released on the anniversary of Hamas’ attacks on Israel.

An additional 4.86 billion has gone into stepped-up U.S. military operations in the region since the Oct 7, 2023, attacks, researchers said in findings first provided to the Associated Press. That includes the costs of a Navy-led campaign to quell strikes on commercial shipping by Yemen’s Houthis, who are carrying them out in solidarity with the fellow Iranian-backed group Hamas.- AP

In Gaza, which is still buckling under the weight of the ongoing war, no formal commemorative event is planned. The massive destruction and displacement are a constant reminder of the retaliatory Israeli assault on the territory, which has no end in sight.

Israelis were holding vigils and somber ceremonies on Monday to mark a year since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

The surprise cross-border attack, which caught Israel unprepared on a major Jewish holiday, shattered Israelis’ sense of security and shook their faith in their leaders and their military. Anger at the government’s failure to prevent the attack and enduring frustration that it has not returned the remaining hostages prompted the families of those killed and taken captive to hold a separate event in Tel Aviv.- AP

The Israeli military said on Monday (October 7, 2024) that at least four projectiles were fired from the Gaza Strip just minutes after the country began to formally commemorate last year’s October 7 attacks.

“Following the sirens that sounded at 06:31 in several communities near the Gaza Strip, four projectiles were identified crossing from the southern Gaza Strip. Three of the projectiles were intercepted by the IAF (air force) and a fallen projectile was identified in an open area,” the military said in a statement.- AFP

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd J. Austin wrote in his ‘X’ account on Monday, October 7 that he spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant to discuss Iran’s recent moves in the region. He pressed on the “US commitment to Israel’s security’’, cease fire in Gaza and diplomatic resolution of the conflict. 

He stated that “United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself” and U.S. is ready to deter Iran and allied forces from expanding the conflict.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Sunday (October 6, 2024) that an Israeli strike on a mosque-turned-shelter in central Deir al-Balah killed 21 people, while Israel’s military said it had targeted Hamas militants.

“The number of deaths rose to 21 and a large number of wounded as a result of the occupation (Israel) bombing of a mosque sheltering displaced people in front of the gate of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip,” said agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal. – Reuters

A huge fireball lit up the night sky and plumes of smoke rose over south Beirut early Sunday (October 6, 2024) as Israel unleashed intense air strikes targeting Hezbollah, nearly a year since the Gaza war erupted.

Israeli forces were on high alert ahead of Monday’s anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attack, which sparked the war.

After a devastating year-long conflict in Gaza, Israel has now shifted its focus to northwards to Hezbollah, Hamas’s Iran-backed ally in Lebanon.

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Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators in Rome as tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets in major European cities and around the globe on Saturday (October 5, 2024) to call for a cease-fire as the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel approached.

The rally in Rome had been calm earlier, with people chanting “Free Palestine, Free Lebanon,” waving Palestinian flags and holding banners calling for an immediate stop to the conflict.- AP