Biden marks anniversary of October 7 attacks with White House candle-lighting ceremony

President Joe Biden on Monday marked the grim anniversary of the October 7 attacks on Israel in a small White House ceremony accompanied by a prayer and a memorial candle.

Biden stood in the Blue Room of the White House alongside First Lady Jill Biden and Rabbi Aaron Alexander, the head rabbi at Washington’s Adas Israel Congregation, as Alexander offered a prayer in both Hebrew and English. The somber ceremony was to remember the 1,200 killed and 250 hostages taken when Hamas militants invaded Israel. The attack sparked a conflict in the area that continues to grow.

The prayer, known as “El Malei Rachamim” — or “God of Mercy:” in English — is a prayer for the soul of a person who has died that is recited during burial and memorial services.

After Alexander finished the prayer, Biden lit a Yahrzeit candle, a memorial candle that is lit on the anniversary of a person’s death, at which point the ceremony ended with a moment of silence.

Biden did not deliver any remarks during the ceremony, which lasted just a few minutes. But in a statement released earlier in the day, the president said Monday’s anniversary “marks one year of mourning for the more than 1,200 innocent people of all ages, including 46 Americans, massacred in southern Israel by the terrorist group Hamas.”

“One year since Hamas committed horrific acts of sexual violence. One year since more than 250 innocents were taken hostage, including 12 Americans. One year for the survivors carrying wounds, seen and unseen, who will never be the same. And one year of a devastating war,” Biden said.

He added that he and Vice President Kamala Harris “remain fully committed to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist” and said the US