Harris and Trump mark somber anniversary of Oct. 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris marked the anniversary of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

Hamas killed 1,200 people, including 46 U.S. citizens, and took about 250 hostages during its surprise terrorist attack on Oct. 7 last year.

Trump on Monday morning 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.

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 spoke before Jewish community leaders at one of his Florida resorts in the Miami suburb of Doral.

Harris described the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack “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.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden also hosted a memorial ceremony at the White House on Monday to mark the one-year 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 Hamas-led terrorist 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 terrorist threat.

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.

Trump has blamed both Harris and Biden for the war, arguing their administration empowered Iran.

Before Trump spoke in Miami, Florida 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-led terrorist 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.”

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.”