Biden marks anniversary of October 7 attacks with White House candle-lighting ceremony

President Joe Biden on Monday marked the grim anniversary of the October 7 attacks on Israel in a small White House ceremony accompanied by a prayer and a memorial candle, one year since Hamas militants killed at least 1,200 and took 250 hostages in the surprise attack.

Biden stood in the Blue Room of the White House alongside First Lady Jill Biden and Rabbi Aaron Alexander, the head rabbi at Washington’s Adas Israel Congregation, as Alexander offered a prayer in both Hebrew and English.

The prayer, known as “El Malei Rachamim” — or “God of Mercy:” in English — is a prayer for the soul of a person who has died that is recited during burial and memorial services.

After Alexander finished the prayer, Biden lit a Yahrzeit candle, a memorial candle that is lit on the anniversary of a person’s death, at which point the ceremony ended with a moment of silence.

Biden did not delivery any remarks during the ceremony, which lasted just a few minutes. But in a statement released earlier in the day, the president said Monday’s grim anniversary “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. One year since more than 250 innocents were taken hostage, including 12 Americans. One year for the survivors carrying wounds, seen and unseen, who will never be the same. And one year of a devastating war,” Biden said.

He added that he and Vice President Kamala Harris “remain fully committed to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist” and said the US supports “Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and Iran.”

Continuing, Biden said he is thinking of those hostages taken by Hamas who are still being held one year after the attacks, and vowed that his administration “will never give up until we bring all of the remaining hostages home safely.”

The president also said the October 7 attacks will be remembered by history “as a dark day for the Palestinian people because of the conflict that Hamas unleashed that day” and lamented how “far too many civilians have suffered far too much” during the “year of conflict” that the attacks touched off.

“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. Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve to live in security, dignity, and peace,” he said.