MONDAY marked the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

World leaders, governments and individuals around the globe marked the anniversary in commemorations ranging from official statements to formal ceremonies and small private vigils.

The unspeakable brutality of the attack killed nearly 1,200 people, including hundreds at a music festival near the Israel-Gaza border, and saw about 250 hostages taken to Gaza.

The Israeli offensive into Gaza it triggered has since killed nearly 42,000 people, most of them civilians, and many, many children.

The conflict has, over the last year, widened into a regional crisis involving Lebanon – where Israel is conducting heavy airstrikes nearly a year after Hezbollah militants began an exchange of fire with Israeli forces.

Monday was a day for the global community to repeat in the loudest voice our utter condemnation of the abhorrent acts of Hamas, including the taking of hostages, who must be released immediately and unconditionally.

Pope Francis said “the fuse of hatred” had been lit a year ago and “exploded in a spiral of violence – in the shameful inability of the international community and the most powerful countries to silence the weapons and put an end to the tragedy of war”.

First Minister John Swinney said that Jewish communities across the world, including in Scotland, remained “deeply traumatised” by the attacks. “As we remember those who died, I express my sympathy to the Jewish community and all those who mourn,” he said.

He added: “I also remember the thousands of innocent people who have been killed in the crisis over the last year. Now more than ever, an immediate ceasefire is needed in Gaza and the Middle East.

“As communities across Scotland reflect on the October 7 terrorist attacks and the subsequent loss of further innocent life that has followed, I pledge the unwavering support of my Government to ensure our communities remain united, that all communities are kept safe and that we live in a Scotland where people of all faiths and none can live in peace.”

Meanwhile, Keir Starmer said October 7 was “the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust”. The Prime Minister reiterated calls for an “immediate ceasefire” both in Gaza and Lebanon, and for the removal of all restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

Here in East Lothian, all of us need to hope and pray for peace and double our efforts for a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine, and a lasting solution to bring regional stability to the wider region. There have been far too many innocent lives lost.