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Israel has expressed grief over the innocent Palestinian victims of the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, saying that every life lost in the war wass valued. Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, expressed this sympathy on Sunday in Abuja during an event to mark the 2nd year memorial of the war, which was triggered by the October 7, 2023 attack on Southern Israel during which Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israeli citizens and took away 200 hostages. The event displayed highlights of virtual testimonies of survivors of the October 7, 2023 attack, as Israel vowed never to allow a repeat of such dastardly acts on its soil. Ambassador Freeman said, “friends, as we remember the victims of October 7, we also express sympathy for the innocent Palestinians who have lost their lives in this war—a war Israel never wanted, a war Israel never started – a war that was forced upon us.” “We grieve for every innocent soul, because we value life—all life,” he added, stressing the military operation in Gaza by Israel was not meant to colonise the land but to defeat the Hamas militants. He added Israelis were not foreigners to the land of Israel contrary to the claims in certain quarters. “We are not foreigners in Israel, we did not colonize the land of Israel; we returned to it. Jews have lived in Jerusalem, Tiberias, Hebron, Tsfat and every part of our land, for over 3,000 years. Through exile and dispersion, we prayed toward Jerusalem, and we remembered Jerusalem at every wedding, every festival, and at every dinner table. “We revived our language, planted forests, gathered exiles, welcomed survivors, and built a modern technology-based economy in a nation reborn. “Israel was not created because of the Holocaust. It was created in spite of it. But Israel is not built on pity. Israel is built on courage, on faith, on history. “And today, “Never Again” is not just a slogan. It is the Iron Dome that protects children in Sderot. It is the Israeli pilot in the sky. It is the 18-year-old girl in olive uniform, standing guard so that our children can sleep at night.” He also expressed gratitude to President Donald Trump of the United States “for his steadfast support, his courage in recognizing truths others ignored, and his unique efforts in bringing our hostages home and helping to finally end this war.”
