Gaza war: Americans should never forget Hamas' Oct 7 attack on Israel, says Trump

Former United States (US) president and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Monday (Oct 7) that Americans should never forget Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel last year (which triggered the war in the Gaza Strip)as he paid tributes to the victims at a campaign event.

Addressing a crowdat an event at hisTrumpNational Doral Golf Club in southern Florida to commemorate the first anniversary of the attack, Trump said, "We can never forget the nightmare of that day."

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Trump claimed that the Hamas attack would have never happened if he was president.

Trump hails Israel's offensive against Hamas

During the campaign event on Monday, Trump hailed Israel's offensive against Hamas by saying that the "dawn of a new, more harmonious Middle East is finally within our reach."

Trump has spoken little about the recent escalation in tensions in West Asiasince the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7 last year.

Earlier this week, Trump issued a scathing statement,holding President JoeBiden and Vice President and current Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris responsible for the crisis.

Biden, Harris mark first anniversary of Gaza war

Apart from Biden, US President Biden and Vice President Harris also marked the first anniversary of the Gaza war.

In a solemn Jewish ceremony of mourning at the White House, Biden lit a candle while a rabbi chanted a prayer for the victims, with the president calling for peace even as the region teeters on the edge of all-out war, the news agency AFP reported.

In a statement, Biden said, "Far too many civilians have suffered far too much during this year of conflict." He lashed outat the "unspeakable brutality" of the attacks and said he and Harris were "fully committed" to Israel's security against Iran and its regional allies -- Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Huthis in Yemen.

Also watch | World DNA: One year after Israel-Hamas war,Gazans long for return to normalcy

But he also described October 7 as a "dark day for the Palestinian people" and said he and Harris "will not stop working to achieve a ceasefire deal in Gaza."

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris separately planted a memorial tree at her Washington residence.

(With inputs from agencies)