US recognizes opposition candidate González as the winner of Venezuela's presidential election

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The stakes grew higher for Venezuela's electoral authority to show proof backing its decision to declare President Nicolás Maduro the winner of the country's presidential election after the United States on Thursday recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the victor, discrediting the official results of the vote.

The U.S. announcement followed calls from multiple governments, including close allies of Maduro, for Venezuela's National Electoral Council to release detailed vote counts, as it has done during previous elections.

The electoral body declared Maduro the winner Monday, but the main opposition coalition revealed hours later that it had evidence to the contrary in the form of more than two-thirds of the tally sheets that each electronic voting machine printed after polls closed.

“Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Maduro responded with a quick admonishment: "The United States needs to keep its nose out of Venezuela!”

The U.S. government announcement came amid diplomatic efforts to persuade Maduro to release vote tallies from the election and increasing calls for an independent review of the results, according to officials from Brazil and Mexico.

Government officials from Brazil, Colombia and Mexico have been in constant communication with Maduro's administration to convince him that he must show the vote tally sheets from Sunday's election and allow impartial verification, a Brazilian government official told The Associated Press Thursday.

The officials have told Venezuela's government that showing the data is the only way to dispel any doubt about the results, said the Brazilian official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the diplomatic efforts and requested anonymity.

A Mexican official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason, confirmed the three governments have been discussing the issue with Venezuela but did not provide details.

Earlier, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he planned to speak with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and President Gustavo Petro of Colombia.

Later Thursday, the governments of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico issued a joint statement calling on Venezuela's electoral authorities “to move forward expeditiously and publicly release” detailed voting data, but they did not confirm any backroom diplomatic efforts to persuade Maduro's government to publish the vote tallies.

“The fundamental principle of popular sovereignty must be respected through impartial verification of the results,” they said in the statement.

On Monday, after the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner of the election, thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets. The government said it arrested hundreds of protesters and Venezuela-based human rights organization Foro Penal said 11 people were killed. Dozens more were arrested the following day, including a former opposition candidate, Freddy Superlano.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado — who was barred from running for president — and González addressed a huge rally of their supporters in the capital, Caracas, on Tuesday, but they have not been seen in public since. Later that day, the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, called for their arrest, calling them criminals and fascists.

In an op-ed published Thursday in the Wall Street Journal, Machado said she is “hiding, fearing for my life, my freedom, and that of my fellow countrymen.” She reasserted that the opposition has physical evidence that Maduro lost the election and urged the international community to intervene.

“We have voted Mr. Maduro out,” she wrote. “Now it is up to the international community to decide whether to tolerate a demonstrably illegitimate government.”

Government repression over the years has pushed opposition leaders into exile. After the op-ed was published, Machado’s team told the AP that she was “sheltering.” Machado later posted a video on social media calling on supporters to gather Saturday across the country.

The González campaign had no comment on the op-ed.

On Wednesday, Maduro asked Venezuela’s highest court to conduct an audit of the election, but that request drew almost immediate criticism from foreign observers who said the court is too close to the government to produce an independent review.

Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice is closely aligned with Maduro's government. The court’s justices are nominated by federal officials and ratified by the National Assembly, which is dominated by Maduro sympathizers.

On Thursday, the court accepted Maduro's request for an audit and ordered him, González and the eight other candidates who participated in the presidential election to appear before the justices Friday.

Asked why electoral authorities have not released detailed vote counts, Maduro said the National Electoral Council has come under attack, including cyberattacks, without elaborating.

The presidents of Colombia and Brazil — both close allies of the Venezuelan government — have urged Maduro to release detailed vote counts.

The Brazilian official said the diplomatic efforts are only intended to promote dialogue among Venezuelan stakeholders to negotiate a solution to the disputed election. The official said this would include the release of voting data and allowing independent verification.

López Obrador said Mexico hopes the will of Venezuela’s people will be respected and that there's no violence. He added that Mexico expects “that the evidence, the electoral results records, be presented.”

Pressure has been building on the president since the election.

The National Electoral Council, which is loyal to Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela, has yet to release any results broken down by voting machine, as it did in past elections. It did, however, report that Maduro received 5.1 million votes, versus more than 4.4 million for González. But Machado, the opposition leader, has said vote tallies show González received roughly 6.2 million votes compared with 2.7 million for Maduro.

Venezuela has the world’s largest proven crude reserves and once boasted Latin America’s most advanced economy, but it entered into free fall after Maduro took the helm in 2013. Plummeting oil prices, widespread shortages and hyperinflation that soared past 130,000% led to social unrest and mass emigration.

More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014, the largest exodus in Latin America’s recent history.

Sá Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo. Associated Press correspondent María Verza in Mexico City contributed.

Detainees' families gather outside the Boleita National Police detention center after their loved ones were arrested during opposition protests in recent days against the official results of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Venezuelan nationals hold a sign with a message that reads in Portuguese: "Brazil, thank you for your support of the Venezuelan people", during a demonstration in support of opposition Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, in front of the Itamaraty Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A Venezuelan national holds a sign with a message that reads in Spanish: "Free Venezuela", and "Out Maduro", during a demonstration in support of opposition Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, in front of the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Maritza Fernández stands outside the Boleita National Police detention center after her partner was detained in recent days during opposition protests against the official results of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Detainees' relatives stand in line with food to give to their arrested family members, outside the Boleita National Police detention center after demonstrators were arrested in recent days during opposition protests against the official results of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Franchesca Aponte, left, and her mother Lili Martínez hold hands outside the Boleita National Police detention center after their brother and son was arrested during recent opposition protests against the official results of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Franchesca Aponte writes a note to her brother outside the Boleita National Police detention center after he was arrested during opposition protests in recent days against the official results of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. The note from Aponte and her mother reads in Spanish "God bless you son. Your mother and sister are here. We love you." (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Detainees' families gather outside the Boleita National Police detention center after their loved ones were detained in recent days during opposition protests against the official results of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A resident who did not want to give her name gathers outside the Boleita National Police detention center after her brother was detained in recent days during opposition protests against the official results of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

The families of detainees gather outside the Boleita National Police detention center after their loved ones were detained in recent days during opposition protests against the official results of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A woman sits outside the Boleita National Police detention center after her boyfriend was arrested during recent opposition protests against the official results of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. The line reflected in the motorcycle mirror is of relatives of other detainees also arrested during protests. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Detainees' families gather outside the Boleita National Police detention center after their relatives were arrested during recent opposition protests against the official results of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Police on a motorcycle leave the Boleita National Police detention center where some people arrested during recent opposition protests against the official results of the presidential election are held in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A woman plays with her dogs in the Santa Rosa de Agua neighborhood of Maracaibo, Venezuela, Monday, July 22, 2024. The country's presidential election is set for July 28. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Demonstrators protest Venezuela's contested presidential election results outside Venezuela's consulate in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

Brazil's flag flies at Argentina's embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. Argentina announced that Brazil will guard its embassy after the Venezuelan government ordered its diplomatic personnel to leave the country after Argentina's government questioned the transparency of the Venezuelan presidential election results. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

The families of detainees gather outside the Boleita's National Police detention center after their loved ones were detained in recent days during opposition protests against the official results of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Government supporters rally in defense of President Nicolas Maduro's reelection in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, three days after the country's disputed presidential election. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

The sun shines down on the National Electoral Council building in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, three days after the country's presidential election. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Demonstrators hold a Venezuelan flag outside that nation's consulate to protest the contested presidential election results in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

An election officials tallies votes after polls closed for the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, left, and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez hold up vote tally sheets from the top of a truck during a protest against the official presidential election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro the winner in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, two days after the election. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a news conference at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, three days after his disputed reelection. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A man walks by a mural depicting a ballot box, outside the headquarters of the National Electoral Council in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, three days after the country's disputed presidential election. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a barrage of rockets into Israel on Monday as mourners marked the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, without disrupting a nearby ceremony.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said an Israeli strike in the country’s south killed at least 10 firefighters.

Hamas also said it attacked Israeli forces in different parts of Gaza. The Israeli military said it launched a wave of artillery and airstrikes overnight and into Monday to thwart what it said was an imminent attack. It said it targeted Hamas launch posts and underground militant infrastructure.

The fighting on the anniversary underscored the militants’ resilience in the face of a devastating Israeli offensive that has killed around 42,000 Palestinians, according to local medical officials. It has also destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population.

Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed into nearby army bases and farming communities in a surprise attack one year ago, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. They are still holding around 100 captives inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel is now at war with Hamas in Gaza and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. It has also vowed to strike Iran in response to a ballistic missile attack on Israel last week.

Here is The Latest:

STOCKHOLM — Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Monday that the Hamas' attack on Israel a year ago was “the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust was committed.”

Kristersson said the attack also “led to an escalated conflict in the Middle East that is still ongoing, with tens of thousands of civilian casualties and enormous suffering.”

Kristersson called for a cease-fire and the release of hostages, a de-escalation in the region and an increased humanitarian access.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala reiterated his country’s support for Israel on the anniversary of the attack by Hamas.

“A few days ago, Israel was attacked again by Iran. Again, unfortunately, anti-Semitism in various forms is also on the rise,” Fiala wrote on X.

“Tensions in the Middle East bring suffering to many people. However, terrorist organizations will not bring peace and a dignified life to people there. Israel defends its existence, it is repeatedly attacked and must have the right to defend itself. Therefore, on the day of this tragic anniversary, I repeat: The Czech Republic stands by Israel!”

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas' attack to condemn Israel's military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.

“Today, I remember with sorrow the tens of thousands of people that the murderous Israeli government has massacred since Oct. 7,” Erdogan said in a message posted on X. “I convey my most heartfelt condolences to my brothers from Gaza, Palestine, and Lebanon.”

An outspoken critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza and more recently the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Erdogan said: “Israel’s long-standing policy of genocide, occupation, and invasion must finally come to an end.”

He has praised Hamas previously as a “liberation group.” Erdogan on Monday made no mention of the Oct. 7 Hamas' attack, in which the militants killed about 1,200 people and dragged some 250 hostages back to Gaza. The subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the territory’s 2.3 million population.

“Israel will sooner or later pay the price for this genocide, which it has been implementing for a year and which is still continuing,” Erdogan wrote. “Just as Hitler was stopped by a joint alliance of humanity, (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his killer network will be stopped in the same way.”

ROME — The Vatican marked the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel by taking up a collection for the people of Gaza and publishing a letter form Pope Francis to Catholics in the region expressing his solidarity.

Francis made no mention of Israel, Hamas or hostages in the letter dated Oct. 7 and addressed to Catholics in the Middle East, especially in Gaza. He referred to the “fuse of hatred” being lit one year ago, and the spiral of violence that had ensued, in insisting that what is needed is dialogue and peace.

After some comments that upset Israel early on in the conflict, Francis has usually tried to strike an even tone, often referring to Palestinians and Israel in his frequent appeals for peace. But he recently suggested Israel was using disproportionate and “immoral” force in Lebanon and Gaza.

And on the Oct. 7 anniversary, Francis spoke in general terms to people of all religious confessions in the region, thanking Christians for staying in their historic lands and directing himself in a particular way to the people of Gaza.

“I am close to you, I am with you. I am with you, the people of Gaza, long embattled and in dire straits. You are in my thoughts and prayers daily,” he wrote.

Francis said he was particularly close to those who have been forced to flee their homes to find refuge from bombing; to the mothers weeping over their dead children and those “who are afraid to look up for fear of fire raining down from the skies.”

Francis has called for a day of fasting and prayer on Monday, and his chief almsgiver announced he was taking up a collection from participants in Francis’ big meeting of bishops at the Vatican this week.

He urged donors to be particularly generous, saying the proceeds of the fundraising drive would go straight to the Catholic parish in Gaza, where Francis calls every day.

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Health Ministry said an Israeli strike in the country’s south killed at least 10 firefighters on Monday.

It said more people were buried under the rubble and the death toll may rise.

The ministry said the firefighters were in a municipality building in the town of Baraachit that was hit as they prepared to embark on a rescue mission.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris condemned Hamas on the anniversary of the militant group’s attack on Israel, while reiterating their administration’s commitment to cementing cease-fire deals to end fighting in Gaza and Lebanon.

“On this solemn anniversary, let us bear witness to the unspeakable brutality of the October 7th attacks but also to the beauty of the lives that were stolen that day,” Biden said in a statement.

The president said that he thinks every day of the more than 100 hostages still in captivity and their families. He vowed that his administration “will never give up until we bring all of the remaining hostages home safely.”

Biden added that “history will also remember October 7th as a dark day for the Palestinian people because of the conflict that Hamas unleashed that day.”

Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack triggered the Israel-Hamas war. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children.

“It is far past time for a hostage and ceasefire deal to end the suffering of innocent people,” Harris said. “And I will always fight for the Palestinian people to be able to realize their right to dignity, freedom, security, and self-determination.”

BEIRUT — The Israeli military Monday warned people in over a dozen towns and villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate, including the coastal town where the U.N. peacekeeping mission is headquartered.

Israeli evacuation warnings in recent days have expanded to include a provincial capital, as troops continue their ground incursion backed by intense airstrikes.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as UNIFIL, is headquartered in Naqoura, not far from the coastal city of Tyre.

Israel’s Arabic military spokesperson Avichay Adraee in a post on X told residents to immediately flee north. “You are not allowed to head southward,” the statement read. “Any movement to the south puts your lives at risk.”

Lebanon’s cash-strapped government estimates that some 1.2 million people have been displaced in the fighting and it's struggling to support them.

Israel says its aim is to weaken Hezbollah to allow its displaced residents to move back to northern Israel. Hezbollah maintains that it will stop firing rockets at Israel when there is a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, in solidarity with its ally Hamas.

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military ordered people to evacuate areas near the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip after Hamas fired rockets at Tel Aviv.

The military had also ordered an evacuation of the areas east of Khan Younis earlier in the war when it sent ground troops into the territory’s second largest city.

The latest orders on Monday came after a barrage of five rockets triggered air raid sirens in central Israel, lightly wounded two women and caused minor damage. The military said the rockets were fired from the area of Khan Younis.

Hamas claimed the attack, which came as Israelis marked the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack out of Gaza that triggered the war.

On Sunday, the military reiterated warnings for the entire population of northern Gaza to flee south. Those warnings date back to the early weeks of the war, when Israeli forces sealed off the north and launched heavy operations there.

A year of war has inflicted heavy losses on Hamas, but its fighters have repeatedly regrouped in areas where Israel has carried out large operations.

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “arose as a nation as lions” following the Oct. 7 attack a year ago.

“We remember our fallen, our hostages — whom we are committed to return — our heroes who fell in defense of our homeland and country. We went through a terrible massacre a year ago and we arose as a nation as lions,” Netanyahu said at a memorial commemorating the anniversary of the attack.

He visited the memorial in Jerusalem for civilians, first responders and soldiers killed in the Hamas-led attack and the war it ignited. He spoke alongside the mayor of Jerusalem as the two held a small tribute at an event that appeared closed to the public.

Netanyahu has faced heavy criticism for security lapses that allowed the attack to unfold and mass protests over his failure to return some 100 hostages still held in Gaza, around a third of whom are believed to be dead.

The attack one year ago killed some 1,200 people across southern Israel, mostly civilians. Palestinian militants dragged some 250 hostages back to Gaza. The subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the territory’s 2.3 million population.

WASHINGTON — The State Department says nearly 700 American citizens, green card holders and family members have now left Lebanon aboard U.S.-contracted planes since late September.

The department said Monday that about 90 passengers — less than a third of the planes 300-person capacity — departed Beirut for Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday on the latest flight.

Hundreds of other Americans have left Lebanon aboard regularly scheduled commercial flights since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensified.

The department said it has made more than 2,900 seats available for Americans on those flights.

BEIRUT — Jordan’s top diplomat on Monday slammed Israel’s war with the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon, saying it is pushing the Middle East into the “abyss of full-scale regional war.”

“We are facing a disaster and a dangerous escalation that threatens the region,” Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. “Israel bears responsibility of this aggression, the escalation in the region, and any new escalation that the region faces.”

He spoke in a news conference following a meeting with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut.

Safadi said that Jordan backs the Lebanese government’s initiative to elect a new president and commitment to implement the U.N. Security Council resolution that ended Israel’s last war with Hezbollah in 2006, and that would keep southern Lebanon exclusively under the control of the Lebanese military and U.N. peacekeepers.

He added that Jordan, like Lebanon, backed an initiative by the United States and France for a three-week cease-fire in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, as the region braces for an Israeli retaliation for Iran's missile attack, Safadi said Jordan rejects either country using its airspace in their tit-for-tat hostitilies.

“We will not a battlefield for anyone,” he said. “We made this message clear to Iran and to Israel as well.”

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended a vigil commemorating the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and walked in Melbourne with members of the Jewish community and lawmakers from across party lines.

Albanese was not expected to speak at the vigil, attended by thousands. In a statement, he said the day carried “terrible pain” and his government “unequivocally” condemned Hamas’ actions.

“Since the atrocities of October 7, Jewish Australians have felt the cold shadows of antisemitism reaching into the present day -- and as a nation we say never again,” he said.

“We unequivocally condemn all prejudice and hatred. There is no place in Australia for discrimination against people of any faith,” Albanese said. He acknowledged the “devastating” loss of civilian lives since Oct. 7.

Hundreds of people gathered Monday night at Sydney town hall for a vigil for Palestinian lives lost in the conflict amid a heavy police presence. Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters had rallied across Australia’s cities on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the first of two repatriation flights organized by the Australian government to transport Australians from Lebanon touched down in Sydney on Monday evening with nearly 350 people on board.

KIBBUTZ BE’ERI, Israel — Members of Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities during the Oct. 7 attack, gathered amid the burned ruins of their homes and demanded an immediate return of the hostages during a memorial and rally on Monday.

More than 95 people were killed there and 30 were taken hostage on Oct. 7, according to the community’s spokesperson. Some of the women and children from the kibbutz were released in a cease-fire deal in November, but 10 hostages from Be’eri remain in captivity. Israel believes most of them are no longer alive.

On Monday, the community marched silently through the streets of the kibbutz bearing signs of the hostages before gathering for a rally, unfurling a massive flag with the words “Be’eri cannot heal until everyone is home.”

Ella Ben-Ami, whose father Ohad Ben-Ami was kidnapped from Be’eri, addressed the crowd and demanded the government of Israel bring her father home.

She said she continues to take solace from the video of his kidnapping, when he stands tall and proud, as if he knew he was being filmed, to broadcast a message to his family that he would be OK.

Many people at Be’eri were dreading the anniversary, which felt like an “impossible” amount of time, she said. “But then I stop for a moment I think that my father woke up today to count a year in captivity, a year!” she said.

ROME — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who has voiced strong support for Israel, commemorated the Oct. 7 anniversary by visiting the main synagogue in Rome and reaffirming Israel’s right to defend itself.

Meloni also denounced the “latent and rampant antisemitism” that has arisen in the year since the Hamas attacks, citing in particular pro-Palestinian protests in Italy over the weekend, some of which turned violent.

While asserting Israel’s lights to live safely within its borders, she insisted that it respect international law and lamented the devastation unleashed by Israeli forces in Gaza. She said Palestinians in Gaza had been “victims twice over: first of Hamas’ cynicism, which uses them as human shields, and then of Israeli military operations.”

As the current president of the Group of Seven, Italy will continue to work for an immediate cease-fire, “the release of Israeli hostages and the stabilization of the Israeli-Lebanese border through the full implementation of U.N. resolutions,” Meloni said.

Since coming to office in 2022, Meloni has taken several initiatives to show her strong support for Italy’s Jewish community and Israel. Her Brothers of Italy party has roots in the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement, or MSI, which was founded in 1946 by sympathizers of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military said on Monday that projectiles fired from Gaza set off sirens in central Tel Aviv, as Israel marks a year to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury. The sirens came as Israelis were marking the anniversary to the deadliest attack in their country’s history. That attack one year ago began with a volley of rockets from Gaza.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes hit two makeshift points used by Hamas-run police at a hospital in central Gaza, wounding a journalist. There were no police present at the sites when they were hit early Monday.

Ali al-Attar, a journalist working for Al Jazeera, was hit by shrapnel while he was inside a tent used by reporters nearby, according to an Associated Press journalist.

Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, operated a police force numbering in the tens of thousands before the war. They have adopted a low profile after being repeatedly targeted by Israeli strikes but still maintain control on the ground in Gaza.

BEIRUT — The Lebanese Hezbollah militant group on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to support Hamas by fighting Israel along Lebanon's southern border.

The statement came a year after its allies from the Palestinian Hamas group staged a surprise attack into southern Israel, setting off the war, and amid ongoing intense Israeli airstrikes and a ground incursion into Lebanon.

Hezbollah maintains that it will stop its attacks if there is a cease-fire in Gaza, and although its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed. Large swaths of southern and eastern Lebanon have been targeted in Israeli airstrikes.

“We are confident, God willing, in the ability of our resistance to repel the aggression, and in our great and resistant people to be patient, steadfast, and endure until this calamity is removed,” Hezbollah said.

The Lebanese government estimates that some 1.2 million people in Lebanon have been displaced, mostly during the escalations less than a month ago.

Hezbollah also praised Iran and other Tehran-backed groups in the region, notably Yemen's Houthis and Iraqi Shiite militias for their attacks on Israel.

BE’ERI, Israel — Across southern Israel on Monday, families gathered in spots where their loved ones were killed during Hamas’ attack, marking a year since the assault that sparked the war in Gaza.

They crowded into roadside bomb shelters that became death traps when people seeking shelter from Hamas rockets and militants were sprayed with bullets or struck by grenades.

People were also visiting spots on the side of a main road marked with memorials.

In Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities struck in Hamas’ attack, where roughly 100 residents were killed and 30 kidnapped on Oct. 7, hundreds marched silently holding signs bearing photos of people still being held captive in Gaza. They held a rally in front of homes destroyed in the attack.

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron took to social media on Monday to mark the one-year anniversary since Hamas’ attack on Israel.

“The pain remains, as vivid as it was a year ago. The pain of the Israeli people. Ours. The pain of wounded humanity,” Macron said on X. “We do not forget the victims, the hostages, or the families with broken hearts from absence or waiting. I send them our fraternal thoughts.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was in Israel for the anniversary and attended a memorial service at the site of the Nova music festival where hundreds were killed in Hamas’ attack.

Barrot, talking to the families of victims, pledged France’s support in the face of “the worst anti-Semitic massacre in our history since the Holocaust.”

“The joyful dawn of what should have been a day of celebration was suddenly torn apart by unspeakable horror,” he said. “France mourns alongside Israel our 48 compatriots victims of barbarism.”

Barrot, who is expected to speak with his counterpart Israel Katz later Monday, said that Macron will also meet in Paris with family members of Israelis held hostage today.

TOKYO — Japan has expressed its condolences to families of victims on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and demanded the immediate release of hostages.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Monday that Japan is seriously concerned about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip amid continued fighting, the large number of civilian casualties and the ongoing security threats to both Israeli and Palestinian people.

“Japan continues to urge all parties including Israel to comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, and strongly urges them to steadily work toward realization of a cease-fire,” Hayashi said.

He added that Japan strongly supports mediation efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar in achieving negotiations for the release of the hostages and a cease-fire.

TEL AVIV, Israel — A group representing the families of Israeli hostages announced on Monday the death of a captive whose body is still being held in Gaza.

The Hostages and Families Forum said Idan Shtivi, 28, was captured from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7. He was thought to have been taken alive.

Israeli media reported that he was killed that day and his body was taken into Gaza.

It was not immediately clear how Shtivi’s death became apparent, but in previous such announcements, the Israeli military has discovered evidence indicating a hostage’s death.

The announcement of Shtivi’s death comes as Israelis are marking one year since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, where militants killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others. About 100 remain in captivity, although more than a third of those are said to be dead.

RE’IM, Israel — Hundreds of families and friends of people killed at the Nova music festival gathered Monday at the site of the attack, where nearly 400 were gunned down during Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault.

Families gathered around photos of their loved ones, which were arranged in a semicircle around what was the DJ stage. Many lit candles and added mementos or photos, crying and embracing. Overhead, army helicopters circled and constant booms echoed across the area, causing many to flinch.

“We can’t understand how a year has passed,” said Shimon Busika, whose son, Yarden, 25, was killed at the festival. “It’s the most natural place to be, to be here for this moment of silence,” he said.

Busika said it took them a long time, piecing together testimony from other survivors, to understand what happened in Yarden’s last moments. They now know he was killed around 9:20 near a yellow container at the festival where many others were killed, and they will hold a second minute of silence there at the moment he was killed.

The last sounds of the trance track that was playing at the Nova site on Oct. 7 one year ago stopped abruptly, as hundreds of family members and friends of the more than 300 victims stood in a moment of silence. One woman’s piercing wail broke the silence as booms echoed from the fighting in Gaza, just a few kilometers (miles) away.

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Twenty Indonesian nationals and a Lebanese evacuated from Lebanon arrived in Jakarta on a commercial flight early Monday and will likely be followed by 20 more in the afternoon, officials said.

President Joko Widodo has called to prioritize the evacuation of Indonesians in Lebanon as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah escalate and fears of a wider regional war in the Middle East grow.

“I have directed the foreign affairs minister to take immediate action to ensure the safety and protection of our citizens and expedite their evacuation,” Widodo said last week.

Indonesia’s Embassy in Beirut had prepared evacuation procedures for citizens as part of its contingency planning since August. The Embassy evacuated 25 Indonesian citizens who returned safely to Indonesia last month, said Judha Nugraha, Director of Indonesian Citizen Protection at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

There are 116 registered Indonesian citizens in Lebanon, most of them students, migrant workers and people married to Lebanese nationals. Many of them have chosen to remain there for various reasons, Nugraha said.

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement Monday that the day carried “terrible pain” and his government “unequivocally” condemned Hamas' attack on Israel a year ago.

Hamas militants stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns on Oct. 7 a year ago, killing dozens and abducting others in an unprecedented surprise attack.

Albanese said that since the attack, Jewish Australians have “felt the cold shadows of antisemitism reaching into the present day — and as a nation we say never again.”

“We unequivocally condemn all prejudice and hatred. There is no place in Australia for discrimination against people of any faith,” Albanese said.

He added that “every innocent life matters” and the number of civilians killed in the conflict was “a devastating tragedy.”

“Today we reflect on the truth of our shared humanity, of the hope that peace is possible, and the belief that it belongs to all people,” Albanese said.

BEIRUT — A new round of airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs late Sunday as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon. Palestinian officials said a strike on a mosque in Gaza killed at least 19 people.

Rocket sirens and blasts were heard in Haifa in northern Israel late Sunday, and Hezbollah claimed the attack.

Israel’s military said at least five projectiles were identified coming from Lebanon and “fallen projectiles” were found in the area. The military showed what appeared to be rubble along a street. The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it was treating a teen with shrapnel injuries to the head and a man who fell from a window due to a blast.

Lebanese men ride a scooter past a damaged building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

People visit the site of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of revelers were killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, on the one-year anniversary of the attack, near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

People visit the site of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of revelers were killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, on the one-year anniversary of the attack, near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Victoria stands in front a picture of her sister, Yulia Waxer Daunt, as she visits the site of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of revelers were killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, on the one-year anniversary of the attack, near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A man takes pictures by his mobile phone of destroyed buildings hit by Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Victoria stands in front a picture of her sister, Yulia Waxer Daunt, as she visits the site of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of revelers were killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, on the one-year anniversary of the attack, near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)