President Herzog: Israel faces ‘empire of evil which has its claws all around us’
‘We will do whatever it takes — with an iron fist — to win,’ Herzog says in first press briefing
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — At 11 a.m. local time, Israeli President Issac Herzog began his first press briefing for the international media since the horrific war with Hamas began last Saturday.
The briefing comes as Israel confirmed that more than 1,300 Israeli civilians have been killed by Hamas, and more than 3,000 have been wounded.
American Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel around the same time for high-level meetings on how the United States can help Israel defeat Hamas and minimize civilian casualties.
Herzog, in his briefing, stressed that Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip aren't revenge attacks: "We are not retaliating — we are targeting our enemies," he said.
"We are facing an empire of evil which has its claws all around us," Herzog said about the Hamas terror organization.
Herzog emphasized that as "Israelis are facing our darkest hour," the world should support Israel.
“It is time for religious leaders around the world to speak out and stand with Israel," he said, adding, "This is the moment of truth for nations to show moral clarity."
Herzog said he worries the media and world community will turn against Israel in the days ahead because “people have a short memory” of the atrocities inflicted against Israeli Jews.
“Please tell the stories of the victims," the president pleaded.
As ALL ISRAEL NEWS reported earlier this week, Herzog used his TIME Magazine column on Monday to explain to the world that the Hamas massacre of nearly 1,000 Israelis on Saturday alone constitutes the largest single mass killing of Jews since the end of the Holocaust.
“Not since the Holocaust have more Jews been murdered on one day," Herzog wrote.
"The number of dead in the Simchat Torah Massacre are still rising as Israel’s soldiers and rescue services discover more and more families murdered in their homes. Not since the Holocaust have we seen such images of innocent Jewish mothers and children, teenagers and old women loaded into trucks and taken away into captivity,” Herzog noted.
“The world can no longer turn a blind eye. Any justification or attempts to rationalize this terrible attack will only encourage them further,” the Israeli president added.
Joel C. Rosenberg is the editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS and the President and CEO of Near East Media. A New York Times best-selling author, Middle East analyst, and Evangelical leader, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and sons.
