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Ambassador Anolik's speech at the Remembrance Ceremony, marking one year since October 7, 2023

A year has passed since October 7, 2023, and yet, no words truly capture the horror of that day

Amb speech at Remembrance Ceremony

Ambassador Anolik's speech at the Remembrance Ceremony, marking one year since October 7, 2023

Words fail.

A year has passed since October 7, 2023, and yet, no words truly capture the horror of that day. On that morning, thousands of Hamas terrorists poured into Israel, leaving devastation in their wake.They did not spare the young or the old.The massacre was systematic and calculated. Women were raped before murdered; children and babies were taken hostage; and entire families were slaughtered.How do we put into words the pain of seeing children ripped from their homes? How do we describe the unimaginable cruelty of the massacre at the Nova music festival, where 364 innocent peace-loving souls were taken? How do we explain to our own children what happened to Ariel and Kfir Bibas, the unforgettable ginger headed toddlers, who were dragged away from the safety of their home to a living hell in Gaza? Can numbers help us grasp the scale? What does it mean when we say that 1,200 lives were stolen that day? That 250 hostages were taken to the tunnels under Gaza. 

That thousands of people were injured, and many more left traumatized. Statistics fail to capture the grief of orphans, or the suffering of bereaved parents, or the agony of families who will never be whole again. Images, raw and brutal, in many cases taken by the terrorists themselves, often tell the story more clearly than the failed words. Images of a terrorist chasing an unarmed woman and when she falls breathless, he points his assault rifle at her and cold-bloodedly ends her life.Images of black-masked terrorists holding crying babies.

Images of a terrorist taking water from the fridge, ignoring the crying children who just witnessed their father die while trying to shield them from the hand grenade thrown by the same terrorist.Images of young, handcuffed women, covered in blood, paraded in the streets of Gaza to a cheering crowd. Try to imagine what does it mean to learn of the fate of your loved ones through horrifying imaged like these.

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This war could have been avoided. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, offering the people of Gaza a chance for a different future. Hamas stole away this future. Hamas chose violence, using Gaza as a launching pad for terror, fueled by hatred, funded and supplied by the Iranian regime.Hamas, by its own admission, is committed to repeating this nightmare.As far as Hamas – and other jihadist, fundamentalist, terror organizations – are concerned, October 7 was just the beginning.The ideology that fuels this terror is spread across the Middle East and beyond.Hezbollah’s unprovoked attacks that started on October 8, show that the threat is not limited to Gaza.

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The October 7 massacre was not just an attack on Israel—it was an assault on humanity.The threat is not directed only towards Israel. The civilized world that cherishes life and upholds values such as democracy, liberty and equality, is the target.The jihadists values are the exact opposite: death and not life; theocracy and not democracy; oppression and not liberty.Hamas was not, has never been and is still not interested in peace. Their aim is the eradication of Israel. Their ideology does not stop at Israel’s borders. In Israel we strongly believe that we are standing on the frontlines of a broader battle—a battle for the safety of every free society – including here, in Cyprus – for the right to live in peace without fear of terror.

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The terror continues for the 101 hostages still held in Gaza, facing unspeakable conditions. The nightmare is ongoing for their families, for all Israelis and for every civilized and compassionate person around the world. We all hope and pray for their swift return to their homes and their loved ones.

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Israel is determined to prevent another massacre. It will not allow again the building up of a similar threat meters away from its borders. Words fail. But we cannot give up on the effort to tell what happened on that cursed day. We must never forget October 7.Remembering means we honor the victims and survivors. It means that we cherish the heroic actions by civilians and fighters. It means that we uphold the values we believe in.And by remembering we contribute to the effort to ensure that the terror of October 7 is never repeated.Thank you.