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Barrages of rockets have been fired into Israel throughout the day as Israelis mark the anniversary of the 7 October attack. 

Hundreds of relatives of hostages and people killed in the attack gathered for a memorial service in a central Tel Aviv park, although the event had to be scaled back because of threats of missile fire.

Shortly before it began, sirens warned of an incoming missile from Yemen and those gathered were forced to lie face down on the ground until it was intercepted.

A second major memorial was held by the government in Israel today, although the ceremony was pre-recorded without an audience – apparently out of concern it could be disrupted.

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Ceremonies and protests were also held elsewhere in Israel, one year on from when Hamas militants crossed the Gaza border and rampaged through Israeli towns and kibbutz villages.

Some 1,200 people were killed and about 250 others were taken into Gaza as hostages, making it the single deadliest day for Jews since the Nazi Holocaust.

Bereaved families organised an anniversary memorial in Tel Aviv for those killed in Hamas's 7 October attacks. Pic: Reuters
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Bereaved families organised an anniversary memorial in Tel Aviv. Pic: Reuters

Israel has responded by unleashing a large-scale offensive on Gaza that has killed almost 42,000 people, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run territory.

It is now fighting on several fronts against Hamas’s allies in the Middle East, including the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and Yemen’s Houthis.

One of the barrages of rockets into Israel on Monday came from Hamas, which targeted Tel Aviv and set off sirens in central areas of the country.

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Rocket lands in Tel Aviv

The five rockets lightly wounded two women and caused minor damage.

Israel’s military said the rockets came from the area of Khan Younis in Gaza.

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Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel’s third largest city Haifa. The group said it had targeted a military base south of the city with “Fadi 1” missiles and launched another strike on Tiberias, 40 miles away.

Ten people were reported injured in the Haifa area and two others further south in central Israel.

The rocket fire came as Israeli forces appear poised to expand ground raids into south Lebanon, following three weeks of intense Israeli strikes and attacks in the country.

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Moment rocket lands in Haifa

Israel’s military said the air force was carrying out extensive bombings of Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon, and that two Israeli soldiers were killed in border-area combat, taking the military death toll inside Lebanon so far to 11.

It has also warned people not to sail along an area up to 22 miles north of the Israeli border as it plans operations on Lebanon’s southern coast.

The military said people should not be on the beaches along the Mediterranean coast from the Israeli border all the way north of the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon.

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In an Israeli cabinet meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was fighting a “war of resurrection” and would continue until achieving its goals and returning the hostages “living and dead”.

“This is the war of our existence – the ‘war of resurrection’. This is what I would like to officially call the war,” he said.

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Silence, screams and the sounds of war

A sombre memorial ceremony was also hosted at the White House by US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

The Bidens watched as Rabbi Aaron Alexander of Washington’s Adas Israel Congregation recited the Jewish remembrance prayer for those killed on 7 October, before Mr Biden lit a lone memorial candle and a moment of silence was observed.

In a statement, the US president said: “On this solemn anniversary, let us bear witness to the unspeakable brutality of the October 7 attacks but also to the beauty of the lives that were stolen that day.”

He said he thinks every day of the more than 100 hostages still in captivity and their families, vowing his administration will “never give up” until they are returned.

Joe Biden with first lady Jill Biden and Rabbi Aaron Alexander
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Joe Biden with first lady Jill Biden and Rabbi Aaron Alexander

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Elsewhere, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan marked the anniversary of the Hamas attack – but used it to condemn Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.

“Today, I remember with sorrow the tens of thousands of people that the murderous Israeli government has massacred since Oct 7,” Mr Erdogan said in a message posted on X.

“I convey my most heartfelt condolences to my brothers from Gaza, Palestine, and Lebanon.”

The Turkish president is an outspoken critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza and more recently the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and has previously praised Hamas as a “liberation group”.

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Ukraine war: Russia launches drone strike on Kyiv – as commander ‘sacked for lying about war progress’

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Ukraine war: Russia launches drone strike on Kyiv - as commander 'sacked for lying about war progress'

Russia launched a large drone attack on Kyiv overnight, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning the attack shows his capital needs better air defences.

Ukraine’s air defence units shot down 50 of 73 Russian drones launched, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries as a result of the attacks.

Russia has used more than 800 guided aerial bombs and around 460 attack drones in the past week.

Warning that Ukraine needs to improve its air defences, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “An air alert has been sounded almost daily across Ukraine this week”.

“Ukraine is not a testing ground for weapons. Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state.

“But Russia still continues its efforts to kill our people, spread fear and panic, and weaken us.”

Russia did not comment on the attack.

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It comes as Russian media reported that Colonel General Gennady Anashkin, the commander of the country’s southern military district, had been removed from his role over allegedly providing misleading reports about his troops’ progress.

While Russian forces have advanced at the fastest rate in Ukraine since the start of the invasion, forces have been much slower around Siversk and the eastern region of Donetsk.

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Russian war bloggers have long complained that units there are poorly supported and thrown into deadly battles for little tactical gain.

Russia’s ministry of defence has not commented on the reports.

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Russian forces capture ‘former British soldier’ fighting for Ukraine – reports

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Russian forces capture 'former British soldier' fighting for Ukraine - reports

Russian forces have reportedly captured a British man while he was fighting for Ukraine.

In a widely circulated video posted on Sunday, the man says his name is James Scott Rhys Anderson, aged 22.

He says he is a former British Army soldier who signed up to fight for Ukraine’s International Legion after his job.

He is dressed in army fatigues and speaks with an English accent as he says to camera: “I was in the British Army before, from 2019 to 2023, 22 Signal Regiment.”

He tells the camera he was “just a private”, “a signalman” in “One Signal Brigade, 22 Signal Regiment, 252 Squadron”.

“When I left… got fired from my job, I applied on the International Legion webpage. I had just lost everything. I just lost my job,” he said.

“My dad was away in prison, I see it on the TV,” he added, shaking his head. “It was a stupid idea.”

In a second video, he is shown with his hands tied and at one point, with tape over his eyes.

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He describes how he had travelled to Ukraine from Britain, saying: “I flew to Krakow, Poland, from London Luton. Bus from there to Medyka in Poland, on the Ukraine border.”

Russian state news agency Tass reported that a military source said a “UK mercenary” had been “taken prisoner in the Kursk area” of Russia.

The UK Foreign Office said it was “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention”.

The Ministry of Defence has declined to comment at this stage.

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Body of missing rabbi Zvi Kogan found in UAE – as Israeli PM says he was murdered in ‘antisemitic terror incident’

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Body of missing rabbi Zvi Kogan found in UAE - as Israeli PM says he was murdered in 'antisemitic terror incident'

The body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been found, Israel has said.

Zvi Kogan, the Chabad representative in the UAE, went missing on Thursday.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office on Sunday said the 28-year-old rabbi was murdered, calling it a “heinous antisemitic terror incident”.

“The state of Israel will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death,” it said.

On Saturday, Israeli intelligence agency Mossad said it was investigating the disappearance as suspicions arose that he had been kidnapped.

The Emirati government gave no immediate acknowledgment that Mr Kogan had been found dead. Its interior ministry has described the rabbi as being “missing and out of contact”.

“Specialised authorities immediately began search and investigation operations upon receiving the report,” the interior ministry said.

Mr Kogan lived in the UAE with his wife Rivky, who is a US citizen. He ran a Kosher grocery store in Dubai, which has been the target of online protests by pro-Palestinian supporters.

The Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of Orthodox Judaism, said Mr Kogan was last seen in Dubai.

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Israeli authorities reissued their recommendation against all non-essential travel to the UAE and said visitors currently there should minimise movement and remain in secure areas.

The rabbi’s disappearance comes as Iran has threatened to retaliate against Israel after the two countries traded fire in October.

While the Israeli statement on Mr Kogan did not mention Iran, Iranian intelligence services have previously carried out kidnappings in the UAE.

The UAE diplomatically recognised Israel in 2020. Since then, synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners have been set up for the burgeoning Jewish community but the unrest in the Middle East has sparked deep anger in the country.

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