Israeli PM Pays Homage To Victims Of Oct 7 Terror Attack, Lights Candles In Memory

(MENAFN- IANS) Jerusalem, Oct 8 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lit a memorial candle at his office in Jerusalem to pay homage to the victims of the October 7 terror attacks led by Hamas.

The Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 people and triggered a massive Israeli military campaign across Gaza. It subsequently expanded into fighting across the region.

In a statement, the Israeli Prime Minister's office quoted Netanyahu as saying, "Today, I lit a memorial candle at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, commemorating every victim murdered on the 7th of October by the monsters of Hamas."

"The nation unites on this day in the longing for our dear ones. We will complete the mission: we have settled the score and will continue settling the score with all the murderers," he added.

Meanwhile, families of those killed in the Hamas attack have been demanding an investigation into whether senior Israeli officials had received intelligence warnings in advance, as controversy over what leaders knew mounts less than a month before elections.

Netanyahu rejected the claims of having received a warning regarding the attack.

In a post on X, his statement read, "Today, we all bow our heads in memory of the fallen and murdered on October 7. Sadly, on this painful day of all days, Channel 12 is broadcasting false political propaganda against Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Likud all day long, with the aim of toppling right-wing rule and paving the way for a left-wing government that will establish a Palestinian state."

"Prime Minister Netanyahu received no advance warning before October 7 about a Hamas attack from the Gaza Strip or by Hamas -- as testified by President Trump, President Biden's advisor Brett McGurk, the UAE government, the Egyptian government, and others," the statement further read.

"If Prime Minister Netanyahu had been updated in real time, everything would have looked different. It was Prime Minister Netanyahu who decided on a ground manoeuvre in Gaza and stood firm against the pressures from President Biden to settle for airstrikes," it added.

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