'We did not ask for this war': Jewish community gathers

Members of Australia's Jewish community have delivered emotional tributes at a candlelight vigil overlooking Sydney Harbour to mark one year since the deadly October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Numbers at the event to commemorate those killed and taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023, were strictly limited and included Israeli Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon and official representatives of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and NSW Premier Chris Minns.

Former federal senator Nova Peris opened the proceedings, saying Israelis were not colonisers and had ancestral roots in the region spanning thousands of years.

"I believe you when you say that you are indigenous to Israel," she said.

"You are an inspiration for all indigenous people across the globe."

Mr Maimon said October 7 not only marked a day of violence - it was the beginning of a painful chapter for Israel.

"We did not ask for this war," he said.

"We did not start it.

"We did not want it, but we are determined to win it."

Michal Ohana, who survived the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival in Israel on October 7, 2023, said she hid for hours, fearing she would be raped, kidnapped or killed as hundreds of those who attended the same festival were slaughtered.

Ms Ohana, 27, was shot in the leg and suffered shrapnel wounds from rockets fired by the attackers.

"I saw a lot of people fall on the ground," she said.

"I'm just running all over dead bodies.

"I called my mum - I said 'Mum I love you but I think I'm going to die'."

Speaking earlier at Sydney's pro-Palestine rally, lawyer Raneem Emad, whose family is from Gaza, said she struggled to recap a year of "genocide", including her cousin being shot by a drone and left to die on the floor of a hospital.

"We can keep recapping horror after horror, war crime after war crime," she said.

"Do I share the story of my family members displaced too many times to count and my uncle who texted me ? 'it looks like they will finish with us all'.

"I am exhausted of watching my family members killed, of seeing my last name as captions on videos of crying children.

"I am exhausted of watching them suffer and feeling like I can do nothing about it."

The vigil and pro-Palestine rallies came after two flights carrying 407 Australians, permanent residents and their immediate family members touched down in Larnaca, Cyprus, on Saturday night.

The passengers are in temporary accommodation awaiting their return to Australia on Qantas and Qatar Airways flights.

On Sunday night AEDT, two more flights will take off from Beirut for the 45-minute trip to Larnaca.

The first homeward-bound flight, with Qatar Airlines, will leave Cyprus before midnight on Sunday AEDT.

Qantas will operate two 22-hour flights from Larnaca to Sydney on Monday, with the planes set to land on Tuesday and Wednesday.

As of Sunday morning, 3679 Australians were registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as wanting to leave Lebanon, with 1765 registered for information only.

The October 7 anniversary comes as Israel carries out bombardments in Lebanon, while also vowing to retaliate against Iran following missile strikes.

Mr Marles said Australia was in lock-step with western allies in its calls for Israel's military response to be measured.

"What we've seen is a cycle of violence here, and no one wants to see this escalate into a broader conflict."

October 7 marks one year since militant groups including Hamas - designated a terrorist organisation by the Australian government - crossed the border from Gaza into southern Israel.

More than 1200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage, according to the Israeli government.

In response, Israel unleashed a bombing campaign and ground invasion of Gaza, killing almost 42,000 people, displacing 1.9 million and leaving another 500,000 with catastrophic levels of food insecurity, local health ministry sources report.

Israel's military campaign has since spread to Lebanon as it hunts down senior figures in Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Iran and designated a terrorist organisation by Australia.