A solemn commemoration took place at Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield on Monday as New Yorkers marked the anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 

Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 people that day and took more than 200 hostages — the vast majority of whom were civilians, including many women and children. 

Since then, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.

One of the hostages is Omer Neutra, who grew up on Long Island. His mother and father, Orna and Ronen Neutra, took the stage in Central Park on Monday. 

“No 23-year-old should be celebrating their birthday in terror dungeons,” his mother said. 

“We don't have sign of life — he probably hasn’t seen any medical attention, We’re not sure he is getting fed, if he is getting fresh air. We are very afraid for him,” his father added. “We’re here to call on our leaders to take bold actions and bring the hostages back.”

A Human Rights Watch report concluded Hamas-led armed groups committed numerous war crimes on Oct. 7, 2023 — including looting, torturing, taking hostages and committing sexual and gender-based violence.

“What happened on October 7th was horrible,” attendee Jeffrey Herman said. “What happened in the aftermath was horrible.”

“In the Jewish tradition, we mark anniversaries of suffering and death, and it is an important one for us to mark,” attendee Gaby Ginsberg added. 

Some said being in Central Park gave them a sense of community during a difficult time. The event drew Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, U.S. senators and other elected officials.

Less than a mile away, pro-Palestinian protesters converged on a corner of the park. Walkouts uptown at Columbia University and marches on the move downtown on Monday, meanwhile, called for an end to the war.

“The war has got to stop. Forty-thousand Palestinians have died. Children, mothers, grandmothers,” Bronx resident Mili Bonilla said. 

“We just want to not have our tax dollars sent to places to bomb children,” protester Katie Brown added. 

Early Monday afternoon, protesters spread a large Palestinian flag on a street near the New York Stock Exchange, while a smaller group of counterprotesters held an Israeli flag. 

The pro-Palestinian group grew to a blocks-long column as it marched through Manhattan streets, at one point holding a banner that read “War begets war” on the steps of the New York Public Library.

Some protesters not only clashed with police, but with pro-Israeli counter-protesters. The NYPD said multiple people were taken into custody Monday in connection with protests around the city, but did not immediately say how many. 

On Monday evening, hundreds gathered at Union Square to pray for all the lives lost since Oct. 7.

“We’re saying that our tears are abundant enough and our hearts are big enough to grieve Israelis who were killed on this day a year ago, and Palestinians and now Lebanese people who have been killed in the year since,” IfNotNow national spokesperson Eva Borgwardt said.