Israel’s Ambassador to Ghana, Roey Gilad, has reacted to President John Dramani Mahama’s recent address at the United Nations, describing it as “critical,” but maintaining that Israel will not end its military campaign until Hamas releases all hostages.
His comment comes after President John Dramani Mahama, addressing the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, rebuked of the ongoing crisis in Gaza, urging the global community to call out the violence against Palestinians for what it truly is—crimes that must come to an end.
Speaking to journalists in Accra, Ambassador Gilad argued that while differing views on the conflict exist, President Mahama’s speech did not adequately highlight what he called the “main adversary” in the war — Hamas.
He stressed that peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved through a two-state solution unless Hamas is fully disarmed.
“The only reason why this campaign is lasting two years, there are two reasons,” Gilad explained.
“First of all, our hostages, currently 48 hostages out of the 251 that have been kidnapped. And the other reason is the civil population, the innocent civil population in Gaza that are being held as a human shield by Hamas. Had we didn’t care for this human shield, for this civil population, the campaign could have ended in a month or two.”
He rejected claims that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, saying the length of the campaign itself proves otherwise.
According to him, Israel has gone to great lengths to evacuate over 600,000 people from Gaza City to the south, while continuing efforts to safeguard the remaining population.
“So this is against the assumption or the statement that Israel is conducting genocide in Gaza. It’s completely untrue. And the proof is, again, that we are already conducting this campaign for 24 months instead of finishing in two months, only because we are very sensitive, of course, to our, to the life of our captives, but also to the life of two million innocent Palestinian girls,” Gilad stated.
The ambassador emphasized that Hamas fighters deliberately blend into the civilian population, use tunnels to stage surprise attacks, and avoid conventional combat.
“The Hamas is hiding behind them. It has to be understood. We do not fight with another army that has uniform as such. The Hamas terrorists, they do not have uniforms. They hide behind the population and every now and then they go to the corner of the street and they shoot against Israeli soldiers. Or they hide in the tunnels and every now and then they come up,” he added.
Despite the differences in position, Gilad made clear that President Mahama’s UN remarks will not affect the cordial relations between Ghana and Israel.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
