Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz again ruled out any possibility of a ceasefire, promising participants at a United Nations event “not to stop the war (in Gaza)” until “all of our hostages” held by the Hamas be rescued.
Katz spoke via video to participants at a meeting commemorating the first anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. The event, organized by the Israeli mission at UN headquarters, was attended by dozens of diplomats, as well as from several guests from the New York Jewish community and relatives of those hostages.
The Israeli foreign minister acknowledged that it was his country that “eliminated Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah (Lebanese Shiite group), and destroyed most of the group’s missiles”.
Katz also commented again on the possibility of attacks against Tehran. “We still have a long way to go: last week, Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel, and I promise that we will fight back with strength and power and defeat our enemies,” he added.
After the chancellor’s statements, it was the turn of the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, to speak at the event. He again attacked the entire UN system, accusing it of failing to show solidarity with Israel.
“This institution has failed us time and time again. At the time of the October 7th massacre, she refused to act. He was unable to find the minimum ethics to condemn the brutal murder of innocent civilians (…) he remained silent and, when he decided to speak out, he did so not for justice, but to demean the country that was fighting to protect its people,” he declared. Danon.
“We are committed to doing whatever is necessary. Regardless of condemnation or (contrary) prejudices, Israel will achieve its objectives”, he concluded.
The ceremony at the UN was a tribute to those killed in last year’s terrorist attacks and the remaining Hamas hostages, believed to number around a hundred.
There was a minute of silence, as well as a prayer from a rabbi, a performance by an Israeli singer and moving testimonies from relatives of some of the 1,200 people killed that day, most of them Jews but also some Arabs.
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