The European Union's most senior officials have emphasized their solidarity with Israel on the third anniversary of the attack led by the terrorist group Hamas on Israel.
"The EU stands with all those whose lives were forever changed by that day. The unspeakable savagery and terror of 7 October must never happen again," President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X on Wednesday.
On October 7, 2023, fighters from Hamas and other extremist organizations killed around 1,200 people in Israel and abducted more than 250 others, taking them hostage in the Gaza Strip. The attack triggered the Gaza war, which killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority in the territory.
"The EU remains ready to help turn today's fragile ceasefire into a durable peace, based on a two-state solution. And remains equally convinced that nothing justifies terror," von der Leyen wrote.
"Some days stay with you. The scars are still raw for so many," said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
The parliament "remembers the victims of that day of horror as we recommit to ending terrorism, finding a path to peace and redoubling our efforts to stamp out the ancient evil of antisemitism," she wrote on X.
"We will never forget. Nothing can justify such terror, and it must never happen again," said European Council President António Costa.
"The EU will always defend Israel's right to exist in peace and security. The two-State solution remains the only viable path to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East," he said.
