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US President Joe Biden on Monday said far too many civilians have suffered in the year since the October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, and called for an end to the conflict in Gaza.
Mr Biden released a statement marking a year of mourning for the more than 1,200 people, including 46 US citizens, killed in southern Israel and one year of “devastating war".
Jewish groups in Washington and New York held memorials for the dead on October 7, while pro-Palestinian protesters gathered to denounce that more than 41,900 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip in the year since.
“Far too many civilians have suffered far too much during this year of conflict – and tens of thousands have been killed, a human toll made far worse by terrorists hiding and operating among innocent people,” Mr Biden said.
“We will not stop working to achieve a ceasefire deal in Gaza that brings the hostages home, allows for a surge in humanitarian aid to ease the suffering on the ground, assures Israel's security and ends this war.”
Mr Biden spoke to Israeli President Isaac Herzog to express his condolences on the anniversary but also to convey his “deep sadness” for the loss of innocent life in Gaza and the continuing suffering of Palestinian civilians. The US President then held a brief candle-lighting ceremony at the White House officiated by a rabbi.
A handful of pro-Israeli protesters gathered outside the White House. One of them, consultant Rachel Chevalier, said she had experienced anti-Semitism over the past 12 months at a level of virulence she had never seen before.
"I had people call me a dirty Jew," she told The National, recounting hostile scenes in Washington when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited in July. "I saw more swastikas than I've ever seen in my entire life. I had people try to chase me, people tell me I have a big nose. ... It's completely disgusting."
The White House was at the weekend also a scene of protest, with members of the Palestinian Youth Movement holding a rally there on Saturday, as thousands marched through the streets of Washington in solidarity with people in Gaza. A journalist set his arm on fire outside the White House in protest against the war.
Outside New York University, hundreds of pro-Palestinian students gathered as a small group of Jewish counter-protesters stood nearby. Police officers positioned themselves between the two groups to maintain order.
Raymond Lauder, spokesman for Revolution Books in Harlem, said he was joining the protests in solidarity with student walkouts, demanding an end to "genocide" and Israeli aggression in the Middle East. He also condemned the suppression of students and faculty at US campuses for speaking out against the conflict.
A Jewish student who did not wish to identify himself said he was there to commemorate inhumane acts that were committed on October 7.
Tension rose at Columbia University in the Upper West Side of Manhattan early on Monday, with duelling protests gathering opposite each other. A small group of pro-Israel demonstrators waved Israeli and American flags in a security pen, while more than 100 pro-Palestine protesters gathered as part of an academic walkout.
Also on campus is a new Memory Lane art installation focused on people affected by the Hamas-led October 7 attack. The installation, which includes large carboard milk cartons with the names of people killed or taken hostage by militants, will be on the campus lawn for four days this week.
Students also held the sixth day of a vigil in which they have been reading out the names of the people killed in Gaza, the Columbia Spectator reported.
Vice President Kamala Harris, running against Donald Trump for the White House next month, called the October 7 Hamas attack “an act of pure evil”, and planted a pomegranate tree on the grounds of her Naval Observatory residence in commemoration of victims of that day.
Ms Harris was joined by her husband Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish.
"I am devastated by the pain and loss that occurred on October 7," she said, adding: "We must work to relieve the immense suffering of innocent Palestinians in Gaza who have experienced so much pain and lost over the year."
Mr Trump, the Republican candidate for the US presidential election, was expected to speak to Jewish community leaders at one of his resorts in Florida later on Monday to mark the anniversary.
Protests and vigils have taken place in the days leading up to the anniversary. The Hostages Families Alliance was expected to host prayers outside the White House for those hostages still in Gaza, and an evening vigil for all those who have lost their lives during the conflict was planned in Malcolm X Park in the US capital.
Speaking at a pro-Israel rally near the Washington Monument, Republican vice presidential hopeful JD Vance expressed his support for the US ally and said: "The truth is that the best way to end the war, and I believe the only way to end the war is if Hamas would let the hostages go.
"Bring the hostages home. This is disgraceful what's been happening, and we've got to bring them home."
Patrick deHahn contributed to this story from New York
