Oren Rosenblat delivered a brief address at an event in Lisbon to mark the second anniversary of the Hamas attack at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.
On that day two years ago, the Palestinian movement Hamas, advancing from the Gaza Strip into Israel, killed over 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, 48 of whom are still held by Hamas, including six Portuguese citizens, the ambassador reminded.
To commemorate the date, the documentary ‘We will dance again’ by Yariv Mozer was screened, featuring testimonies from young survivors of the attack and footage captured by them, along with images released by the attackers.
In his speech before the documentary screening, Oren Rosenblat recalled the attack, noted that Israel has been at war for nearly two years, and expressed encouragement by recent developments (peace plan), hoping that the hostages would be released in the coming days.
“Let me be clear: Israel did not seek this war. Hamas started it—and Hamas can end it. We hope the Palestinian terrorists will be forced to accept President (Donald) Trump’s peace proposal,” the ambassador declared, calling for support from partners such as Portugal, in terms of political backing and moral solidarity.
“In this context, Portugal’s recognition of a Palestinian state at this moment rewards terrorism and sends a dangerous message that violence yields political gains—and strengthens Hamas,” he added.
Oren Rosenblat further noted a “worrying increase in anti-Semitism,” a trend that “has not spared Portugal,” observing a recent surge, including the burning of Israeli flags and calls for an intifada, which he deemed unacceptable, urging the Portuguese government to act according to the law and “firmly face” the wave of anti-Semitism.
Following the attacks two years ago, the Israeli retaliation offensive has so far left at least 67,139 dead in Gaza and 170,000 wounded, the majority civilians, according to data from the Hamas Health Ministry, considered credible by the UN.
