Thousands gather in Poland for annual 'March of the Living' to remember Holocaust victims

Key Points:

• Holocaust survivors and thousands of participants took part in the annual March of the Living at Auschwitz, Poland, commemorating the 6 million Jews killed during World War II, with 50 survivors attending despite travel challenges linked to airspace restrictions from the Iran war.
• Organizers highlighted a resurgence of antisemitism since October 7, warning that hatred is spreading globally and drawing parallels to the dangers witnessed during the Holocaust.
• The march, held on Holocaust Remembrance Day, started at Auschwitz and ended at Birkenau, the site of mass Jewish deportations and murders, and included survivors of recent antisemitic attacks such as the 2022 Bondi Beach massacre in Sydney.
• In Israel, a nationwide two-minute silence was observed with traffic halted to honor Holocaust victims, marking the annual commemoration distinct from the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27.
• This year's remembrance occurs amid a fragile ceasefire following a recent conflict involving a US-Israeli strike that killed Iran's supreme leader, underscoring ongoing regional tensions.