MACON, Ga. — If you drive by a Georgia government building on Monday, you may be asking yourself, "Why are flags are at half-staff?"
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order on Saturday, ordering all flags flying outside of State of Georgia buildings to be flown at half-staff on Monday.
But it is not because of the death of a famous politician or figure.
Instead, flags in Georgia are at half-staff Monday because Monday marks one year since Hamas Militants attacked Israel in a coordinated attack, killing 1,200 people, taking hundreds of hostages and sparking a war between Israel and Hamas.
In the executive order, Kemp highlights the 400 Americans killed during the attack — which largely targeted civilians — and left seven Americans still unaccounted for or held hostage.
"As we observe the one-year anniversary of this tragedy, the people of Georgia continue to mourn the American lives lost in these unwarranted attacks and join our close ally Israel in grieving all those who were taken from their families or injured," Kemp's executive order said.
Gov. Kemp says flags being flown at half-staff is "a mark of respect for the memory of those killed in these unwarranted attacks" one year after the attack, the executive order says.
All U.S. Flags and Georgia State flags are at half-staff until sunset Monday.
The attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, prompted a deadly conflict between Israel-Hamas.
The conflict has sparked tension in the U.S. over antisemitism and the death toll among Palestinian civilians on the ground, which prompted months-long protests on college campuses in the U.S.
The spillover from the Israel-Hamas war has also put the Middle East on high alert, causing spillover conflict between Israel and long-time adversaries such as Lebanon and Iran.
