Herzog informed Blinken: "In the last 24 hours, we have witnessed ongoing terror attacks by Palestinian militants. We lost Gideon Perry, a father of three children, age 38, a husband, a music lover, who went to work at a factory, and one of his co-workers decided to murder him simply because he is Jewish and Israeli. A very great tragedy.
Last night, we witnessed a significant explosion in Tel Aviv, which is now under investigation and may involve a suicide bomber, and this morning our soldiers were attacked in Yaar—on the border with Lebanon—by Hezbollah militants using drones, with reports of possible casualties. We are investigating this, and this is how we live these days. We are surrounded by terror from all corners of the land, and we are fighting back as a strong and determined people, and this is also reflected in Hamas's stance in negotiations for the release of our hostages."
The President emphasized: "We need to remember the refusal, the resolute refusal, and I have been following your statements on this for months. Ultimately, people need to understand that it starts with Hamas's refusal to progress. We still very much hope that we can advance in the negotiations being managed by the mediators. And I want to thank the United States, Egypt, and Qatar for their efforts towards this noble goal. There is no greater humanitarian goal than this, and no more noble humanitarian reason than to bring our hostages home, as should have happened a long time ago. We want to see them return home as soon as possible."
"There is no greater prayer, no greater hope, and no greater effort than to try to do everything possible to bring them home. This is, in fact, at the top of the global agenda these days, as reflected in the Security Council resolution, which you, Mr. Secretary, brought and advanced in a historic step, as well as the conclusions of the world leadership in the G7 forum on this issue. So let’s concentrate all our efforts to bring them home while safeguarding Israel's security interests."
At the end of his remarks, Herzog said: "I want to thank the President of the United States, my good friend, President Joe Biden, the administration, and the leadership of the United States for supporting Israel in these difficult and complex times. You have created a powerful and impressive coalition of armies, navies, and forces aimed at protecting the interests of the coalition of states that seek to advance towards peace and a better future in the Middle East, and against the evil empire that starts and stems from Tehran. I want to personally thank you, and I want to thank the President for showing and radiating strength in the region. The message must be clear—no one can attack Israel or interfere with our clear and essential right to self-defense."
Blinken said: "This is a pivotal moment, perhaps the best and maybe the last opportunity to bring the hostages home, achieve a ceasefire, and lead everyone to a better path toward sustainable peace and security."
"I am here as part of an intense diplomatic effort, instructed by President Biden, to try to bring this agreement to the finish line and finally cross it. It is time for this to happen. It is also time to ensure that no one takes actions that could disrupt this process. Therefore, we are striving to ensure that there is no escalation, no provocations, no actions that could take us further from completing this deal or, for that matter, escalate the conflict elsewhere and increase its intensity."
"I know this is a difficult moment for Israel. We are very concerned about the possibility of attacks from Iran, from Hezbollah, and other sources, and as you heard the President say, the United States is taking decisive action in deploying forces here to deter any attack and, if necessary, defend against any attack. But the focus of my visit is to bring the hostages back, to achieve a ceasefire. It is time for everyone to say 'yes' and not look for excuses to say 'no.' I look forward to my meetings with the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister, and other senior officials, and it is always pleasant to start the day with you."
"Finally, I want to say that we mourn the losses that the President shared over the past 24 hours."
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