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JERUSALEM — Expressing gratitude to the heroism of male and female fighters in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and security personnel - regular and reserve, army and police, Shin Bet and Mossad - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that his government is "determined to complete the job" and free the remaining hostages from Gaza.
"We will end the war when we complete all the goals we set: overthrowing the evil rule of Hamas, returning all our abductees home - both the dead and the living, thwarting any future threat from Gaza to Israel, and returning our residents in the south and north safely to their homes," said Netanyahu at a special mourning meeting to mark the first anniversary of horrific attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7, last year, that took more than 1200 innocent lives.
Also read: World leaders condemn Hamas on first anniversary of October 7 massacre
At the beginning of the meeting, the PM of Israel lit a candle in memory of those who were murdered on and after October 2023 as the members of the government stood for a moment of silence.
"A year ago today, at 06:29 in the morning, Hamas terrorists launched a murderous surprise attack against the State of Israel, against the citizens of Israel. Shortly after this massacre, I said in a rally in Tel Aviv: "We are at war. Not in an operation, not in rounds - in a war. We will fight back with a force the enemy has never known, and exact a price from him that he has never known. We are at war and we will win it," Netanyahu said at the beginning of his address.
זאת מלחמת התקומה כדי להבטיח שה-7 באוקטובר לא יקרה לעולם. pic.twitter.com/7oJ2HP9Qjm
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 7, 2024
He mentioned that since that very "black day" (October 7, 2023), Israel has been fighting the war of its existence - "the war of resurrection" - as he would like to officially call it.
"Since that black day we are under attack on seven fronts. Our counter attack on our enemies in Iran's axis of evil is a necessary condition for securing our future and ensuring our security... The October 7 massacre was the most horrific attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. But unlike in the Holocaust - we rose up against our enemies and fought a fierce war," stated Netanyahu.
Paying homage to the fallen heroes of the IDF who fell in Gaza, Lebanon and other arenas, the Israeli PM said that it was because of their sacrifice that Israel was able to destroy the enemy's capabilities and free many hostages.
"And, we are determined to complete the job. We will send a prayer for the peace of our wounded heroes, and we will express gratitude from the bottom of our hearts for the heroism of our female and male fighters in the IDF and the security forces. They are the ones who stand as a protective wall between the evil of our enemies and the good of our people and our country."
It is believed that there are still more than 100 hostages in Gaza from more than eight different nations.
"We are changing the security reality in our region; For the sake of our children, for the sake of our future, to ensure that what happened on the seventh of October will not happen again. never again," Netanyahu said while concluding his address.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli PM and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon lighted candles at the 'Iron Swords' monument in memory of the fallen October 7 victims from Jerusalem.