Hundreds of people gathered in Los Angeles on Sunday for the first memorial commemorating the lives lost in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

One year ago, Hamas infiltrated Southern Israel, killed 1,400 people, took over 100 hostages, and ultimately ignited the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

On Sunday night in Los Angeles, the Museum of Tolerance lit candles to represent the people killed that day and the hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza.

KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff visited different sites and memorials around the city to speak with those in attendance.

At the Simon Wiesenthal Center, people of all religions and backgrounds gathered for a night of remembrance, reflection, and reconciliation.

“Our main focus tonight is really to celebrate the strength of our community, to celebrate that no matter what is thrown towards us we will persevere,” said Jim Burke, the CEO of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Artistry was displayed throughout the museum, telling the story of what happened one year ago through the eyes of survivors and first responders.

Tomer Peretz, one of the display creators, told KTLA he saw the destruction first-hand. 

“On October 7th, I was in Israel,” said Peretz. “I was volunteering to pick up dead bodies from the massacre for the entire week and when I got back to LA, the only thing I could create about was with other people who experienced a very similar experience as me.”

A candle-lighting ceremony held at 8:29 p.m. coincided with the exact moment Hamas launched its first rockets into the Jewish State.

Members of the Los Angeles Jewish community also commemorated the occasion in conjunction with their Israeli counterparts abroad. 

At the same time, Israeli-Americans and Jews alike came together outside on Pico Boulevard in a display of optimism and solidarity. 

“What brings me here is there is still over 100 hostages that were stolen and kidnapped from Israel into Gaza on October 7, and that’s what I’m here for, trying to help get back these hostages,” said attendee Tuvia Kramer.

There will be several other commemoration ceremonies on Monday at synagogues and cultural institutions to mark the anniversary of October 7.

A four-vehicle crash left a motorcyclist dead on Saturday evening in Gardena, according to police.

The Gardena Police Department said officers responded to the crash at the intersection of Western Avenue and 139th Street at 6:09 p.m.

Four damaged vehicles were in the intersection, including a bus, and paramedics pronounced the motorcyclist dead at the scene. 

Investigators determined the motorcyclist was driving southbound on Western Avenue when they collided with the rear bumper of a bus and consequently crashed into another vehicle.

The Hawthorne Police Department and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating this fatal crash. 

Police said the drivers’ names are still under investigation. Anyone who witnessed the traffic collision is encouraged to call Hawthorne Police Department Officer Nambo or Gardena Police Department Investigator Zamudio.

An Arizona man who set fire to a cabin in the Grand Canyon National Park where his ex-girlfriend was staying was sentenced last week to nearly two years in prison. 

Dahntay Dunbar, 21, a Flagstaff resident, was arrested in May after he broke into her locked cabin and set a fire inside, the Department of Justice said Tuesday. 

Federal prosecutors said that Dunbar had found a bottle of clear liquor and dumped it on a bed before igniting a shirt belonging to his former girlfriend. She was not in the cabin at the time. 

“The bed started to burn, and Dunbar left the cabin,” a DOJ statement said. “The fire caused scorching, burn damage, and smoke damage to the walls, ceiling, and other parts of the cabin.”

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Entrance sign for Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. A man will serve prison time after setting fire to a cabin inside the park, federal prosecutors said.  (Jim Lane/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

A bystander saw the blaze and extinguished most of the flames before firefighters arrived on the scene, according to court documents. 

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Dahntay Dunbar will spend two years in prison for setting the fire. (Pilar Arias/Fox News Digital)

The cabin was owned by the resort company Xanterra. The blaze caused more than $40,000 in damage, authorities said. 

Dunbar was arrested by park rangers a short time later. On July 8, he pleaded guilty to arson of a dwelling. 

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Days before the fire, Dunbar got into a dispute with the unnamed woman and punched through one of the windows, court documents state. 

In addition to a prison sentence, he was ordered to pay $20,146.13 in restitution and is subject to five years of supervised release after he serves his time. 

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