By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-10-07 23:59:13 | Updated at 2024-10-08 02:54:18
3 hours ago
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his country’s determination to fight in a video message during the official commemoration of the October 7 attack’s anniversary on Monday.
“Together we will continue to fight, and together - with God’s grace - we will triumph,” he said in a video message. The ceremony took place in Ofakim, near Gaza, where 40 people were killed a year ago.
He said October 7, when the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement and other extremists killed around 1,200 people in Israel and abducted about 250 others to Gaza, was “a day of indescribable suffering for the country”.
The conservative politician asserted that the Israelis had united for the defence of the country.
“We have set the war objectives and we are achieving them,” he said. He said these objectives were to dismantle Hamas’ rule, bring all hostages home, make any future threat from Gaza impossible, and ensure the safe return of residents from the south and north to their homes.
However, after a year of war with nearly 42,000 dead in Gaza and growing international criticism of Israel’s harsh actions in the coastal strip - and now also in Lebanon - none of the war objectives mentioned by Netanyahu have been completely achieved so far.
Israel hosted an event at the United Nations on Monday, vowing to fight until all hostages held in Gaza are freed and assailing the world body for failing to condemn the massacre.
