Politics Grief and anger at commemoration of massacre in Israel

People in Tel Aviv commemorated the victims at events on the first anniversary of the worst massacre in the history of the state of Israel. Many people wept at a gathering of relatives in Jarkon Park, held each other in their arms and carried photos of those killed and abducted.

Balloons were released for the 100 or so Israelis still held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Thousands repeatedly shouted the word "achschaw", which means "now" in Hebrew and stands for the demand for the immediate release of the abductees. Hundreds of people also gathered in the city center.

However, there were repeated calls for an investigation into how the Israeli security forces could have been taken by surprise a year ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was accused of preventing a ceasefire in the Gaza war and thus the release of the hostages.

SDA