WASHINGTON — Monday night, hundreds of people gathered inside Meridian Hill Park for a memorial for both the Israelis and Palestinians who've been killed in the past year. The event was organized by IfNotNow, an American Jewish group that opposes the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
They marked one year since the deadly Hamas-led attack in Israel. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas killed 1,200 people, including 46 U.S. citizens, and took about 250 hostages during its surprise attack.
This sparked a deadly war in Gaza, as Israel moved to root out Hamas' control over the territory and try to return those taken captive. Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, including many women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians.
In a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, the group IfNotNow wrote "Today, October 7, marks one year since the Hamas-led attack in which over 1,100 Israelis were killed and hundreds more were taken hostage. Today also marks a year of the Israeli government’s systematic massacres in Gaza and occupied Palestine, which have killed at least 42,000 Palestinians — and left likely tens of thousands more dead, buried under rubble, or at risk of starvation or disease. As the region risks escalating war, over 1,000 Lebanese people have already been killed in the Israeli military’s bombings and invasion".
A memorial on Monday night was for both the Israelis and Palestinians who have died.
"It's a really heavy day," said Lily Greenberg Call, a member of IfNotNow and a former appointee in the Biden administration. She was one of the first known Jewish staffers she says, who resigned, in protest of President Joe Biden's support for Israel's war in Gaza.
"A year ago I woke up to news of the attack and spent the whole day and days after trying to account for people and I have spent the last year since trying to reject the justification of the slaughter of Palestinians as a response to what happened on Oct. 7," said Greenberg Call.
On Monday night, the group prayed together, sang, and reflected. They came together, understanding each other's pain. Those in the crowd were asked to wear white.
"We're trying to create a mood that is both somber and reflective and honoring the dead but also that we are building new politics of life. Jews and Palestinians, Israelis and Palestinians. All of us in solidarity with each other, and I think the white is a really beautiful way to represent that," said Greenberg Call.