Commemorations and vigils are planned at places of worship across Germany on Monday to commemorate the anniversary of the October 7 attacks on Israel by the Islamist militia Hamas and other extremists.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected to attend an interfaith service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, where he will also speak.
Then the participants walk in silence to the nearby Jewish Community Center. An additional commemorative event will then take place in front of the building.
In Hamburg, a commemoration ceremony is planned for Monday evening at the Hohe Weide synagogue, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also make a statement.
The President of the Israeli Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, Charlotte Knobloch, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder and Catholic Archbishop Cardinal Reinhard are expected to attend a memorial service at the Ohel Jakob Synagogue in Munich.
Memorial services are also planned in many other cities. At the same time, many people plan to gather in various cities for pro-Palestinian rallies.
On October 7, 2023, terrorists from the radical Islamist group Hamas and other groups killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and took another 250 hostage and abducted them to the Gaza Strip. This led to the Gaza War, which continues to this day.