Australia news LIVE: Vigils to mark October 7 attack on Israel; White House defends Trump’s latest controversy

Today, we pause to remember the devastation that Hamas unleashed in the terrorist attack in Israel on the 7th of October, 2023.

On this dark anniversary, we remember the 1200 who were taken from the world, the largest loss of Jewish life on any single day since the Holocaust.

We think of everyone who was dragged into captivity, everyone who never returned home to their families, and everyone forever scarred by what they endured.

We think of all who lost loved ones, everyone who suffered, and those who entered that most agonising of vigils, struggling to bear the weight of hope as they waited for news of their loved ones held hostage.

We mourn Australian Galit Carbone. Our hearts are with her family, who live each day with her absence.

We solemnly vow to never forget what the terrorists perpetrated in all their cruelty.

That they chose to target young people at a music festival promoting friends, love and infinite freedom sent a clear message to the world that Hamas stands in opposition to humanity.

Time marches on with an ease denied to the human heart. For so many, no day since has been easy, but anniversaries fall with their own terrible weight. And for many others, what compounds the pain is the approach of the first anniversary of the antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach.

These few years have been hard beyond measure, but Australia stands with the Jewish community here and across the world.

We stand against antisemitism and racism in all its forms because it goes against who we are.

We stand against Hamas, which must disarm and play no role in Palestine’s future.

Australia continues to push for the implementation of the Gaza peace plan to end the conflict after such terrible suffering and loss of civilian life.

The Australian Government encourages and welcomes all genuine moves towards a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, underpinned by the State of Israel and the State of Palestine living side by side, within internationally recognised borders in peace and security.

Such a future would be the greatest victory of humanity over hatred. That is the future we must strive for together.