Harris and Trump mark somber anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris marked the anniversary of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust as the presidential candidates approach the final weeks of the campaign during a widening conflict in the Middle East.

Hamas killed 1,200 people, including 46 U.S. citizens, and took about 250 hostages during its surprise attack on Oct. 7 last year. Harris described it as “an act of pure evil.”

She cited the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer in mourning, to talk about “our enduring belief in God, even in our darkest moments.”

Harris said she would remain committed to Israel’s security and the release of hostages held by Hamas, naming several of them in her remarks. She also mentioned a need to to “relieve the immense suffering of innocent Palestinians in Gaza who have experienced so much pain and loss over the year.”

Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, spoke after Harris to say “this is an incredibly challenging day for Jews around the world, myself included.”

“Today feels just as raw as it did one year ago,” he said, describing the attack as “seared into our souls.”

A fledgling pomegranate tree was placed in a hole nearby at the vice president's residence, and Harris and Emhoff used shovels to cover the roots with dirt. When they finished, they paused and bowed their heads.

On Monday morning, Republican candidate Trump visited the New York City gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who led the Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Orthodox Judaism from 1951 until his death in 1994.

Schneerson was the movement’s seventh leader, known as Lubavitcher Rebbe, and was regarded by some as a messianic figure, though the Chabad movement has disavowed any teachings suggesting he was the messiah. His image remains ubiquitous around the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, which is home to Chabad-Lubavitch’s world headquarters.

Wearing a black kippah, or skullcap, Trump left a stone atop the headstone of Schneerson’s grave in a traditional Jewish custom.

Later in the day, he held a remembrance event at his Doral golf resort in Miami. Jewish community leaders, Republican members of Congress and others, including three Holocaust survivors, were called to the stage to light candles in memory of those killed during the attack a year ago.

Noting Hurricane Milton zeroing in on the state, Trump said, “I think I am the only person who flew into Florida today.” But he added, “I wouldn't have missed this, regardless.”

While honoring the lives lost in last year's Hamas attack as well as the hostages remaining in captivity, Trump said the November election would not only be the most important day in the history of the United States but also in Israel.

“This attack should have rallied the entire world in support of the Jewish people and the Jewish homeland,” he said. “The anti-Jewish has returned even here in America in our streets, our media and our college campuses and within the ranks of the Democrat Party in particular. Not in the Republican Party.”

Trump, however, has associated himself with people who spew antisemitic rhetoric. Just days after announcing his 2024 bid for the presidency, Trump dined with Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust-denying white nationalist, and the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.

The Democratic Party has remained divided over fallout from the Hamas attack. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since then has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians.

Trump has repeatedly said that Jewish voters who vote for Democrats “should have their head examined” and recently said that if he loses the presidential election to Harris, “the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that.”

“I did more for Israel than anybody. I did more for the Jewish people than anybody. And it’s not a reciprocal, as they say,” Trump said earlier Monday in a radio interview with conservative host Hugh Hewitt. He also said developers could make Gaza “better than Monaco” because it has “the best location in the Middle East, the best water, the best everything.”

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden also hosted a memorial ceremony at the White House Monday to mark the anniversary of the attack. The Bidens looked on as Rabbi Aaron Alexander of Washington’s Adas Israel Congregation recited the Jewish remembrance prayer for those killed on Oct. 7. The president then lit a lone memorial candle placed on a small table at the center of the Blue Room before they observed a moment of silence.

Earlier in the day, Biden spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the White House said.

The Oct. 7 attack sparked a deadly war in Gaza, as Israel moved to root out Hamas' control over the territory and try to return those taken captive.

Another Iran-backed group, Hezbollah, has fired thousands of rockets at Israeli territory in the same period from Lebanon, and Israel last month expanded a campaign of sabotage and assassination and launched a ground incursion into Lebanon to combat the threat from the group.

Iran, meanwhile, has fired large missile salvos at Israel, most recently a week ago. The U.S., which maintains troops and weaponry in the region, helped Israel shoot them down.

In an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Monday night, Harris appeared to avoid answering a question about whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considered “a real close ally,” and said, “The better question is: Do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? And the answer to that question is yes.”

Trump’s own relations with Netanyahu have been rocky. They soured after the Israeli prime minister became one of the first world leaders to congratulate Biden for his 2020 victory, which Trump continues to deny. A few days after the Oct. 7 attack last year, Trump publicly criticized Netanyahu and said he “was not prepared” for the deadly incursion from Gaza. Trump said Netanyahu had let the U.S. down just before the U.S. killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

Since then, the two have met to talk about a cease-fire deal for Gaza.

Gomez Licon reported from Miami.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks with Miriam Adelson and Rabbi Yeshuda Kaploun at an event marking one year since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump stands with Miriam Adelson and Rabbi Yeshuda Kaploun at an event marking one year since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks with members of the Chabad Lubavitch after visiting the gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks as second gentleman Doug Emhoff looks on before planting a memorial tree on the grounds of the Vice President's residence in Washington on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, to honor the victims and mark one year since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump poses for photos with family members of Edan Alexander, a hostage held by Hamas, after visiting the gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff look at memorial tree after they planted it on the grounds of the Vice President's residence in Washington on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, to honor the victims and mark one year since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch to visit the gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A boy awaits the arrival of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch to visit the gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch to visit the gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, center, visits the gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson at Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, center, visits the gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson at Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff plant a memorial tree on the grounds of the Vice President's residence in Washington on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, to honor the victims and mark one year since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff stand after planting a memorial tree on the grounds of the Vice President's residence in Washington on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, to honor the victims and mark one year since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

President Joe Biden, center, standing with first lady Jill Biden, left, and Rabbi Aaron Alexander of the Adas Israel Congregation, participates in a memorial candle-lighting in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel that left about 1,200 people dead. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden, center, standing with first lady Jill Biden, left, and Rabbi Aaron Alexander of the Adas Israel Congregation, lights a memorial candle in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel that left about 1,200 people dead. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people injured by shattered glass, the Israeli military said Saturday, days after Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi rebels who have been launching missiles in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Another 14 people sustained minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before dawn Saturday, the military said.

The Houthis issued a statement on Telegram saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they did not identify.

“A flash of light, a blow and we fell to the ground. Big mess, broken glasses all over the place,” said Bar Katz, a resident of a damaged building.

The attack came after Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people Thursday. The Israeli strikes were in response to a Houthi long-range missile that hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike targeting an unspecified military target in central Israel on Thursday.

Israel's military says the Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and drones during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Houthis have also attacked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and say they won’t stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli strikes Thursday caused “considerable damage” to the Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports that will lead to the "immediate and significant reduction in port capacity,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The Hodeida port has been key for food shipments into Yemen in its decade-long civil war.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said both sides’ attacks risk further escalation in the region.

Mourners in Gaza held funerals for 19 people — 12 of them children — killed in Israeli strikes on Friday and overnight.

One strike hit a residential building in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least seven Palestinians, including five children and one woman, and injuring 16 others, health officials said.

In Gaza City, a strike on a house killed 12 people, including seven children and two women, according to Al-Ahli Hospital where the bodies were taken.

One man cradled a tiny shroud-wrapped body as mourners gathered at the hospital in Gaza City. Women comforted each other as they wept.

Overall, Gaza's Health Ministry said 21 people had been killed over the past 24 hours.

More than 45,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, when a Hamas attack in Israel killed about 1,200 people and triggered the 14-month war. The health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said more than half of fatalities are women and children.

Israel faces heavy international criticism over the unprecedented levels of civilian deaths in Gaza. It says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in residential areas.

Gaza's Health Ministry issued an urgent appeal for medical and food supplies to be delivered to Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya in largely isolated northern Gaza, while the hospital director described conditions as dire, as Israel's military presses its latest offensive.

The ministry reported continuous gunfire and Israeli shelling near the hospital, saying “shells have struck the third floor and the hospital’s entrances, creating a state of panic.”

Hospital director Dr. Husam Abu Safiyeh said the facility faced “severe shortages” and asserted that requests for essential medical supplies and ways to maintain oxygen, water and electricity systems "have largely gone unmet.”

He said 72 wounded people were being treated at the hospital.

“Food is very scarce, and we cannot provide meals for the wounded," Safiyeh added. “We are urgently calling on anyone who can provide supplies to help us.”

Aid groups have said Israeli military operations and armed gangs have hindered their ability to distribute aid.

The Israeli military organization dealing with humanitarian affairs for Gaza said Saturday it had led an operation delivering thousands of food packages, flour and water to the Beit Hanoun area in the north. It said trucks with the U.N. World Food Program transported them to distribution centers in the area Friday.

Iran on Saturday said unknown gunmen had killed a local staffer of the Iranian embassy in Syria, the official IRNA news agency said.

Its report quoted foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying “terrorists” opened fire on Davood Bitaraf’s car last Sunday. It did not say what he did with the embassy.

Baghaei said Iran considers Syria’s interim government responsible for finding and prosecuting those behind the killing. Iran had been a key ally of recently ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

Shurafa reported from Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writers Elena Becatoros in Majdal Shams, Golan Heights, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat refugee camp are prepared for the funeral prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Men pray over the bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat refugee camp during a funeral prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat arrive at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital before their funeral in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

An Israeli soldier observes the site where the missile launched from Yemen landed Jaffa district, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Tomer Appelbaum)