Israel’s Netanyahu remains confident of victory on anniversary of October 7 attack

Israel holds October 7 memorials as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to press on with military objectives

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People observe a moment of silence during a memorial ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks in Tel Aviv, Israel on Monday. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:44am, 8 Oct 2024Updated: 9:52am, 8 Oct 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed his country’s determination to fight in a video message during the official commemoration of the October 7 massacre’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 the Gaza Strip, where 40 people were murdered a year ago.

He stated that October 7, when the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement and other extremists killed around 1,200 people in Israel and abducted about 250 others to the Gaza Strip, was “a day of indescribable suffering for the country”.

Netanyahu asserted that Israelis had united for the defence of the country.

People cross a bridge with the date 7.10, marking the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Ramat Gan, Israel. Photo: AP

“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 the Gaza Strip impossible, and ensure the safe return of residents from the south and north to their homes.