Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate to honour hostages on October 7 anniversary
Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate is to light up with the words “Bring them home now” on Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel led by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The projection on the iconic landmark in the German capital is meant to highlight the fate of the hostages still held by Hamas, amid frantic negotiations to end the war.
Hostages are still being held under inhumane conditions, said Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner.
“Hamas must finally accept the peace plan in full and release the hostages,” said Wegner. “We will never forget the fate of the people who were kidnapped, murdered, brutally tortured and abused by Hamas – and we will continue to stand resolutely against hatred, incitement and anti-Semitism.”
On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian extremists carried out massacres in Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others were abducted as hostages to the Gaza Strip.
Israel responded with a military offensive. Since the beginning of the war, more than 67,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health authority.
The figures are seen as credible by the United Nations and aid organizations.