Today is Monday, October 7, 2024. Today marks the grim first anniversary of the Israeli-Hamas war in the Middle East and there is still no end in sight. Marking this anniversary, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed today that Israel will “continue to fight.” To cover this somber anniversary, CNN offers up-to-the-moment updates in an article written by Kathleen Magramo, Lex Harvey, Rob Picheta, Maurren Chowdhury, Elise Hammond, and Aditi Sangal entitled “Israel marks anniversary of Hamas attacks as Middle East war rages.”

“Israel’s ensuing war in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 people and triggered a humanitarian crisis, catalyzing a widening regional conflict.” The conflict has widened to include Lebanon in the form of Hezbollah that has launched rockets into the core of Israel. So far, the Israeli military said it identified about five projectiles launched from Lebanon into Israel on Monday night. Hezbollah claims it launched a rocket barrage targeting an Israeli military intelligence base on the outskirts of Tel Aviv tonight.

Explosions lit up the skies in Beirut tonight after Israel warned residents that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) was going to target two areas in the southern suburbs, which an IDF Arabic spokesperson said were located near Hezbollah facilities and interests.

In the meantime, hundreds of people gathered at the site of the Nova festival Monday morning to honor those who were killed there last year. Hours later, a memorial was held in Tel Aviv and at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where one in four residents were killed or abducted by Hamas.

We must not forget that this raging conflict was started by Hamas’s cross-border attack on Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 Israels and resulted in 250 people being taken hostage by the militant group. As of now, Hamas still holds around 100 captives, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

As the country gathers to mark this somber anniversary, the military said it was increasing troop presence in Israel’s south to protect memorials taking place along the Gaza border.

Rallies are planned around the world to mark the anniversary, whereas a large memorial was planned by bereaved families that is expected to draw a crowd of more than 40,000 in Tel Aviv.

This never-ending war risks further drawing in the United States, which has provided crucial military and diplomatic support to Israel. Other adversaries like Iran-allied militant groups in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen have joined in with long-distance strikes on the Jewish state.

As we celebrate the Jewish New Year this week, I join in with many proponents for peace to urge an end to the ongoing conflict in the region. Let there be no more killing on both sides is my simple prayer for reconciliation.

Because of the one-year commemoration, here in New York, plans have been set in motion to deal with the expected protests from those who identify with the Palestinian cause. Embattled Mayor Eric Adams said on Saturday that the anniversary of October 7 was “extremely significant” to the city, particularly its Jewish community. Speaking to the Daily News, Adams said, “The largest Jewish population outside of Israel is here in New York. We’re going to make sure that people are able to acknowledge the pain of that day without any interference and making sure that those who want to peacefully protest, they can do so peacefully. We are not going to tolerate violence or acts of disruptive destruction of property.”

This terrible conflict in the Middle East has launched a wave of horrifying anti-Semitism which has left Jews wondering whether they are safe in America. There is no telling how long this war will go on. Let’s hope this does not reach the three-year mark of the Ukrainian conflict with Russia that is past its two-year mark and will be three years in February 2025.

Another developing story in the news is the rapidly advancing Hurricane Milton that has intensified into a mind-bogging Category 5 storm over the record-warm Gulf of Mexico which is expected to make landfill on Florida’s Gulf Coast this Wednesday. According to live updates on CNN, the storm’s dangerous eye and eyewall could come ashore anywhere from Cedar Key at the north to Naples at the south – including possibly in the Tampa or Ft. Meyers area. And it’s only been 10 days since Helene scoured Florida’s Gulf Coast with storm surge and slammed into the Big Bend as a Category 4. Now, officials are asking residents – still in shock over the last storm – to evacuate or prepare for another life-threatening hurricane.

The death toll from Helene has now risen to at least 235 people across six states, according to CNN’s tally, after three additional deaths were announced today in Tennessee. Helene is the second deadliest hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland in the past 50 years, following Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, which killed at least 1,833 people.

On a personal level, my son is a Florida resident and he just got through the last storm and now he – with so many people – are faced with another life-threatening storm. Currently, he lives in Venice, Florida, which is a city in Sarasota County. Venice is just south of Sarasota on Florida’s Southwest Coast, and it’s on the West Coast of Florida, definitely in the range of the eye of this new tempest. He claimed he was not as affected as so many other Floridians were with Helene, but this new threat could pose a significant risk to him this time. So I will be biting my nails by the time Wednesday rolls around, hoping he will be safe and there will not be such a high casualty count this time.

These threats from climate change are another strong reason not to vote Republican in the next election since Dump and his allies are shameful climate deniers. If he ever gets back into the White House, we will definitely lose the fight against combating climate change. Maybe by that time, Mar-a-Lago will be underwater like so much of Florida.

So that is the way it was on October 7.

Tomorrow Elliot and I are hopeful that we will see our friend “Gene” in the afternoon in order to see a play through getting tickets at TKTS, in Times Square. Thus I might not be here tomorrow night if we do see a play in the evening. So let’s see what happens tomorrow.

And so it goes!