Guy Nir, the Spokesperson for the Israel Embassy in India, told ANI that both India and Israel share a common stance in condemning terrorist activities. He highlighted India as one of the most peaceful nations and expressed Israel’s appreciation for any swift action India might take to help resolve the ongoing conflict.
“First of all, any terror activity should be condemned and should be stopped. And the fact that Prime Minister Modi is speaking about that just shows you that we’re on the same page. Terrorism needs to be eliminated. So I’m thankful for that. As for the role of India, this is really for India to decide,” he said.
He mentioned that a swift resolution to the escalation would be appreciated by all.
“I will not tell any Indian diplomat how to conduct anything. I’ve been living here for a year, and India is one of the most peaceful countries that I’ve been to, and if you can make it work with all the large variety of people that you have here if you can give us assistance, I’m sure we would all appreciate a swift resolution for this matter,” he said.
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Nir described Iran’s condemnation of Israel’s actions as “laughable,” pointing out that Iran has the blood of thousands of people on its hands.
“I think that’s laughable. I think Iran, a terror state, condemning the killing of a terrorist with blood on his hands of thousands of people is just laughable. Where were they when Israelis were being killed, were being targeted, were being terrorised? They didn’t condone the October 7. They didn’t condone thousands of missiles being fired at civilians. They’re condoning when a terrorist is killed. When people are condoning terrorism, when people are okay with terrorism, that just shows you who they are. Terrorists are okay with terrorists, and Iran is a terror state. So what do I have to say about that? Iran is a terror state, and that’s it,” he said.
Nir emphasized that Israel would not stop its efforts until Gaza releases all 100 people currently being held as hostages.
“For the last 11 months, Hezbollah has been firing rockets at Israel indiscriminately. We have been calling for diplomatic action… We have been waiting and focusing our attention at the south until we have had right now the attention span to hit Hezbollah back. For about two weeks, we have been targeting Hezbollah high-ranked officials.
In the last 24 hours we have begun a ground operation to try to eliminate more terrorists on the ground,” he said.
When asked about the duration of the conflict, Nir responded that they do not want it to be prolonged.
“That’s a tricky question. I cannot foresee the future until exactly how long, but I can tell you that we are looking for something short. We don’t want this to prolong. The longer this continues, the more in danger it puts our soldiers. We’re looking for something short and quick to finish as soon as we can and get out,” he said.
Regarding the ceasefire, he stated that they are focused on eliminating terrorists and safeguarding their citizens, emphasizing that they will not halt their efforts until they secure the release of their hostages from Gaza.
“The great old questions of ceasefire. Well, people are asking for ceasefire, where have you been for the last 11 and a half months? We have been asking for a ceasefire since Hezbollah began shooting us on October 8, 2023, and indiscriminately at our population. We have been asking for diplomatic solution. No one was calling out for a ceasefire then. Now you’re calling for a ceasefire when we’re protecting ourselves and we’re eliminating terrorists. The first ceasefire will be when we get our hostages back and not a second before. Right now we still have over 100 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza,” he said.
Nir stated that Israel is actively working to secure the release of its hostages.
“We are working both on diplomatic arenas and with force to get them [Israeli hostages] back safely as fast as possible. You need to understand that when we’re talking with terrorists, there’s not much that can be diplomatically arranged. We are doing the best that we can. It unfortunately can take more time. We’re doing our best,” he said.
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