Michael Freeman, the ambassador of Israel in Nigeria, has guaranteed the well-being of both Nigerian and other foreign residents in the country.
Israel is grappling with a devastating assault from Hamas militants who breached the border fence amidst a relentless rocket onslaught on Saturday morning, resulting in over 900 casualties within Israel.
Israel has initiated a large-scale air and artillery offensive against Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip in response, with casualties reaching a minimum of 687 people within the coastal area.
Freeman, speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, reassured the public that Nigerians are in a safe environment and that the Israeli government is taking all necessary precautions to protect them.
The envoy stated, ‘Everyone is safe in Israel. Nigerians are safe. We will do everything we can to avoid civilian casualties. But the civilians will get killed. We should be prepared for that.’
He also described Saturday’s attack by Hamas as the gravest since the Holocaust.
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Describing the attack, Freeman said Hamas is a terror group that wants to wipe out the Israelis, but said Israel will terminate every one of them.
‘Hamas are a terror group that has no mercy and has decided that they want to slaughter the Israelis and destroy the State of Israel.’
‘Nearly a thousand Israelis were murdered in one day. That was the gravest number of Jews killed in one day since the Holocaust.’
‘But, do you know it is not only Israelis? They killed Arabs, they killed Israeli-Arabs, they killed others from different countries,’ Freeman explained.
The ambassador went on to explain that Israel’s military actions are directed at Hamas and not aimed at Palestinians, Muslims, or Arabs, emphasising the specific target of this conflict.
He pointed out that Israeli forces are resolute in their mission to remove Hamas, aiming to prevent a repetition of such incidents in Israel and other nations.
‘There is no justification for Hamas to attack. They have no right to hold children and women. Their major headquarters is under a hospital in Gaza. We are focusing on ensuring that everybody is safe, and how we are going to do that is to eliminate Hamas,’ Freeman said.