United States President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden lit a yahrzeit candle at the White House this Monday (7), a date that marks one year of the war in the Gaza Strip. They also held a moment of silence during the ceremony.
The couple was accompanied by Rabbi Aaron Alexander, from Congregation Adas Israel. Rabbi Alexander, a friend of the Goldberg-Polin family, recited the prayer “El Malei Rachamim.”
Goldberg-Polin’s son, Hersh, was kidnapped by Hamas in 2023, before being murdered by the group in August.
Biden did not comment and left the room after the moment of silence.
The American president also offered his “deepest condolences” to the people of Israel and the families whose loved ones were killed during the October 7, 2023 attack, in a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday morning. .
Both leaders, according to the White House, also “reaffirmed” their commitment to achieving a ceasefire and hostage agreement in Gaza.
Understand the conflict in the Gaza Strip
Israel has carried out intense airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since last year, after Hamas invaded the country and killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli counts. Furthermore, the radical group holds dozens of hostages.
Hamas does not recognize Israel as a state and claims Israeli territory for Palestine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and recover people detained in Gaza.
In addition to the air offensive, the Israeli Army carries out land incursions into Palestinian territory. This caused much of Gaza’s population to be displaced.
The UN and several humanitarian institutions have warned of a catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, with a lack of food, medicine and the spread of diseases.
About a year into the conflict, the Israeli population took to the streets in protests against Netanyahu, accusing the prime minister of failing to reach a ceasefire agreement so the hostages could be released.
This content was originally published in Biden pays tribute to the victims of the October 7 attack on Israel on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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