The Embassy of Israel in Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to defending truth, justice, and the right of the Jewish people to live freely in their ancestral homeland.

This was as it marked the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, described as “the darkest day in modern Israeli and Jewish history.”

This was contained in a statement titled “October 7th Memorial Speech – 2025,” delivered during a solemn commemoration ceremony organized by the Embassy in Abuja to honor the victims of the terror attack that claimed thousands of lives and left hundreds kidnapped.  

According to the statement, the attack was not a battle against soldiers, but a massacre of innocent civilians. 

The Embassy recounted that “thousands of Hamas terrorists poured across Israel’s border, murdering entire families in their homes, raping women, torturing children, and burning people alive.”

The statement described October 7 as a day that “etched pain into the soul of the Jewish people and into history itself,” adding that there would “forever be too many empty chairs at too many empty tables.”

While announcing the recent release of the last 20 living hostages, the statement lamented that 16 victims’ bodies still remain in Hamas’s custody, declaring that Israel “cannot truly move on until every last one is returned.”

It also condemned what it described as a “torrent of lies and slander” against Israel in the aftermath of the attacks, noting that instead of solidarity, the victims of terror were met with global hostility and accusations of genocide.

“Over these two years, Israel has faced distortions and blood libels, even as we facilitated the entry of over two million tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza and took unprecedented steps to avoid civilian casualties,” the statement read.

The Embassy warned of the growing threat of antisemitism worldwide, revealing that more than 150 terrorist attacks and plots targeting Jews have been recorded in over 40 countries since October 2023.

“When it is no longer acceptable to say ‘I hate Jews,’ the hatred is dressed up as ‘I hate Israel,’” it stated, stressing that Jewish communities are again facing coordinated hatred under new disguises.

Recounting Israel’s historical resilience, the statement emphasized that the Jewish people have risen from centuries of persecution and remain steadfast in their homeland.

“Israel was not created because of the Holocaust; it was created in spite of it. We are not foreigners in Israel—we returned to it. Jews have lived in Jerusalem, Tiberias, Hebron, and every part of our land for over 3,000 years,” it said.

While mourning the Israeli victims of October 7, the Embassy also expressed sympathy for innocent Palestinians affected by the ongoing war, describing it as “a war Israel never wanted, never started, but was forced upon.”

“We grieve for every innocent soul, because we value life—all life,” the statement affirmed.

The Embassy extended appreciation to nations and allies who have stood by Israel through its trials, singling out former U.S. President Donald Trump for his “steadfast support and unique efforts in bringing hostages home and helping to finally end this war.”

The statement called for hope and reconciliation in the region, envisioning a future of peace where “children grow up not under the shadow of rockets or the grip of terror, but under the light of peace.”

“May the souls of the victims be bound in the bond of life. May their memory be a blessing. And may we, the living, ensure that their sacrifice strengthens our resolve to defend truth, justice, and the right of the Jewish people to live free in their ancestral homeland.”