Washington, United States

United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday (May 7) cautioned of a "ferocious surge" in antisemitism during his Holocaust memorial speech amid a sharp rise in the number of Gaza protests in US universities.

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"Never again simply translated for me means: Never forget. Never forgetting means we must keep telling the story, we must keep teaching the truth," Biden said as he addressed a bipartisan memorial held at the US Capitol's Emancipation Hall. "The truth is we're at risk of people not knowing the truth."

Biden, who has backed its staunch ally in the war against Hamas, said that Oct 7 was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

"This hatred (of Jews) continues to lie deep in the hearts of too many people in the world and requires our continued vigilance and outspokenness," Biden said.

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Also read: Humanitarian aid flow stopped as Israel takes control of Gaza side of Rafah

'Hamas unleashed terror'

He then highlighted that the people must not forget that it was Hamas who first launched an attack against Israel on Oct 7 and "unleashed this terror".

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"Now here we are, not 75 years later, but just seven and a half months later, and people are already forgetting ... that Hamas unleashed this terror," he said. "I have not forgotten, nor have you. And we will not forget."

He then laid stress on an alarming rise in antisemitism in the United States, including campuses that are roiled by demonstrations against the ongoing war in Gaza.

"We've seen a ferocious surge of anti-Semitism in America and around the world," Biden said.

The Jewish students enrolled in US universities have reported an increase in antisemitism since the Palestinian militant group Hamas' Oct 7 attack on Israel.

"There's no place on any campus in America -- any place in America -- for anti-Semitism or hate speech or threats of violence of any kind," Biden said.

Earlier, Israel's president also condemned the protests stating that US campuses were "contaminated" by hatred.

Biden's speech also comes against Israel's seizure of a key border crossing in Rafah in southern Gaza despite several warnings from the United States and amid the ongoing talks to broker a deal for the release of hostages held captive by Hamas.

(With inputs from agencies)