The Media Line: ‘They Would Have Slaughtered Every One of Us,’ Netanyahu Says of Hamas at Ceremony Honoring Fallen Soldiers  

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‘They Would Have Slaughtered Every One of Us,’ Netanyahu Says of Hamas at Ceremony Honoring Fallen Soldiers  

By The Media Line Staff  

Israel’s leadership gathered Thursday at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl military cemetery for the official state ceremony commemorating the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas-led attacks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and senior defense officials attended the memorial honoring soldiers who fell during the assault and the ensuing war in Gaza. A separate ceremony later in the day paid tribute to civilians killed in the attacks.  

President Herzog opened the event with an appeal for national unity and remembrance. Addressing bereaved families, he thanked them for raising “valiant soldiers who did not hesitate to go forth to save Israel, to defeat the enemy, and to bring back the hostages.” He noted that US President Donald Trump, in his recent address to the Knesset, had also praised Israel’s troops for their heroism and role in achieving what he called a “historic turning point.”  

Herzog described the return of the final living hostages under Trump’s ceasefire plan and the continued recovery of the dead as “days of immense historical and emotional weight—filled both with relief and with the deepest pain.” He stressed that “the mission is not complete” until the bodies of 19 remaining hostages are returned. “We must act by every means and through every channel at our disposal until every one of the fallen and the hostages—down to the very last—is brought home,” he said.  

Calling for reconciliation after two years of conflict, Herzog urged Israelis to resist renewed polarization. “It horrifies me to see that even now, as we continue to bury our dead, the spirit of division and hatred once again raises its head,” he warned. “When we unite around a shared flag and a common purpose, there is no task we cannot achieve.”  

Prime Minister Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to bring back all remaining hostages and to continue pursuing the war’s objectives, including defeating Hamas and countering Iran and its proxies. “The struggle is not over,” he said. “Anyone who raises a hand against us already knows he will pay a heavy price for his aggression. We are determined to complete the victory that will shape the order of our lives for many years.”  

Netanyahu gave a response to international critics of Israel’s war efforts, and, about the Hamas attack, he said, “If those murderers had been able to do more, they would have slaughtered every one of us.” Netanyahu also spoke of “great challenges” ahead as enemies seek to rearm but emphasized “dramatic and great opportunities” to expand regional peace.  

“Unity in war and unity in peace,” he said, “are what will allow Israel to achieve all its goals.”