One year after Oct. 7: Biden and Harris call for ceasefire as Hamas attacks Israel

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris issued two separate statements to mark the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre perpetrated by Hamas and other terror groups in Israel.

"On this day last year, the sun rose on what was supposed to be a joyous Jewish holiday. By sunset, October 7 had become the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust," Biden said.

"Today marks one year of mourning for the more than 1,200 innocent people of all ages, including 46 Americans, massacred in southern Israel by the terrorist group Hamas. One year since Hamas committed horrific acts of sexual violence, since more than 250 innocents, including 12 Americans, were taken hostage and one year for the survivors "carrying wounds, seen and unseen, who will never be the same. And one year of a devastating war," the president continued.

Biden added that the brutal attack "brought to the surface painful memories left by millennia of hatred and violence against the Jewish people." And he stressed that it was for that reason that "soon after the attack, I became the first American president to visit Israel during a time of war."

The president further remarked that the Biden-Harris administration "supports Israel's right to defend itself," stating that "last week, at my direction, the United States military once again actively assisted in the successful defense of Israel, helping to defeat an Iranian ballistic missile attack."

Biden also referred to the people still held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. "Today and every day I think of the hostages and their families. I have met with the families and grieved with them," he said.

"My Administration has negotiated for the safe release of more than 100 hostages, including Americans. We will never give up until we bring all of the remaining hostages home safely," the president added.

Biden also said that, in the face of rising antisemitic acts in the United States and around the world, that "all of us must stand united against antisemitism and against hate in all its forms."

"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," he said, referring to the use of civilians as human shields by Hamas and other radical Palestinian groups.

Biden also said he would not stop working to reach "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."

"Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve to live in security, dignity and peace," Biden said.

The U.S. leader also addressed the hostilities between Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon, indicating that he continues to believe that a diplomatic resolution is the only path to restoring "lasting calm" and allowing residents of northern Israel and southern Lebanon to return safely to their homes.

He concluded, "On this day of remembrance, which also falls during the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, we honor the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people and mourn the victims of October 7th. May their memory be a blessing."

Kamala Harris' statement

In her statement, Vice President Kamala Harris stated that she will never forget the horror of Oct. 7, 2023.

"What Hamas did that day was pure evil – it was brutal and sickening. And it has rekindled a deep fear among the Jewish people not just in Israel, but in the United States and around the world," Harris maintained. She added: "The long, extraordinary arc of Jewish history is full of pogroms and prejudice, slaughter and separation. And now, in our own generation, there is another moment that the world must never forget."

"I will do everything in my power to ensure that the threat Hamas poses is eliminated, that it is never again able to govern Gaza, that it fails in its mission to annihilate Israel, and that the people of Gaza are free from the grip of Hamas," the vice president said. She added that she will never stop fighting for the release of all hostages, including the seven U.S. citizens still being held by the Palestinian terrorist group.

Like Biden, Harris argued, "It is far past time for a hostage and ceasefire deal to end the suffering of innocent people." She stressed, "I will always fight for the Palestinian people to be able to realize their right to dignity, freedom, security, and self-determination."

Harris also agreed with Biden the idea that a diplomatic solution between Israel and Lebanon is the "only path" to restore calm so that civilians in both countries can return to their homes.

"We will not forget, and we will not lose faith. And in honor of all those souls we lost on October 7, we must never lose sight of the dream of peace, dignity, and security for all," Harris concluded.

Amid calls for ceasefire, Hamas attacks Israel during first anniversary of Oct. 7

As Israelis remembered the victims of Oct. 7 on the first anniversary of the massacre, and Biden and Harris called to seek a ceasefire in Gaza and a diplomatic solution with Lebanon, the Hamas terrorist group fired rockets from the Gaza Strip into central Israel that left two women wounded.

In addition, Israel intercepted a ground-to-ground missile fired from Yemen, possibly by the Houthis, the Iranian-backed terrorist group in Yemen.

Amid the attacks it is suffering from all directions, Israel bombed about 120 Hezbollah positions in Lebanon in one hour, the Israeli military reported.