Jewish leaders, administration officials, U.S. and foreign diplomats, and dozens of hostage family members gathered at the State Department on Wednesday to honor American citizens murdered in the October 7 Hamas attacks.

The memorial took place inside the U.S. State Department’s Benjamin Franklin Room in Washington, with remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his wife, Allison Lutnick, and U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper.

Photos were provided to Belaaz by Rabbi Levi Shemtov of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad). According to the account provided, the event had originally been scheduled for Sukkos.

Several parents and other relatives of hostages who were killed also addressed the gathering, remembering their loved ones before senior U.S. officials and members of the Jewish community.

The senior officials pledged to honor the victims’ memory. The event concluded with family members reciting Kaddish.