Trump and Harris mark somber anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are marking the first anniversary of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust as the presidential candidates approach the final weeks of the campaign during a widening conflict in the Middle East.

Political leaders across the spectrum were marking the killing of about 1,200 people, including 46 U.S. citizens, by Hamas-led militants in the Oct. 7 attack last year, and the taking of about 250 hostages. A year later, about 100 people, including several Americans, remain in captivity, as U.S.-led efforts to negotiate a cease-fire and hostage release deal have sputtered out.

President Joe Biden was set to mark the occasion in a somber event in the White House Blue Room, lighting a memorial candle to mark the anniversary.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will speak before Jewish community leaders at one of his Florida resorts in the Miami suburb of Doral. Harris will briefly speak to journalists and, with her husband, plant a pomegranate tree on the grounds of the Vice President’s Residence in honor of the those killed a year ago.

Earlier Monday, Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, recited a prayer for peace at an event to commemorate the anniversary hosted by the American Jewish Committee in Washington.

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