Israeli Minister thanks India for standing with country in fight against Hamas

By Ashoke Raj
Tel Aviv (Israel), October 16 : Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli has thanked the Indian leadership, people of India for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel in its fight against Hamas.
"I want to thank the leadership of India, the people of India for being with us shoulder-to-shoulder in this fight against brutal jihadist barbaric Islamist. This is not just our war, this is your war too and we will win it together with your support," he said.
He further said: "I want to tell the people of India - we share the same values, we cherish life, we cherish good...We believe in human values."
He said that there are more than 120 confirmed hostages. "We will make every effort to bring them back home. It won't be simple. As you know, Hamas has absolutely zero mercy, zero human values...So, we have no expectations from Hamas. Still, we believe we might, with intelligence, with efforts, maybe we can rescue some of them," he said.
"My recommendation for Hamas militants - lay down your weapon, raise up your hands, come from your tunnel and maybe there will be mercy," he added.
One of the towns that bore the brunt of the Hamas' attack is Sderot in the South of Israel. Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi says Hamas must be destroyed.
"I have six children. All of them live in this situation. More than 50,000 people live in this situation. All of this time, I have asked the government to destroy Hamas" said the Sderot Mayor while speaking to ANI.
"We now see that the Hamas is the new ISIS of the world. Now, it's not just Israel's but everybody's role to destroy the Hamas. It is like the Hezbollah, the ISIS," he added.
Meanwhile, the Coordinator for the Captives and Missing Brigadier-General (Ret.) Gal Hirsch in his Second Meeting with Deputy US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Steven Gillen, said: "I thank you for standing alongside Israel and greatly appreciate the assistance."
US State Secretary Antony Blinken has said the US stands with Israel as it defends itself. "The United States is also actively working to ensure the people of Gaza can get out of harm's way and the assistance they need -- food, water, medicine -- can get in. Hamas does not care if Palestinians suffer," he said.
Blinken arrived in Israel on Monday, the second time within a few days, to pledge support for the country as it prepares a major military offensive in Gaza, the Washington Post reported.
Blinken who was in Israel on Thursday returned to the country after a tour in which he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah II of Jordan.
The visit comes amid reports in Israeli media that during a phone call on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited Biden to Israel, the US daily reported.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) meanwhile continues to attack the Gaza Strip.
In the last few hours, dozens of operational headquarters and mortar bomb launching positions were destroyed. In addition, the military headquarters of Ali Kachi, one of the commanders in the Najaba force of the terrorist organization Hamas, who was eliminated a few days ago, was destroyed.
Earlier, Israel President Isaac Herzog revealed a disturbing Hamas booklet found on the body of a Palestinian terrorist killed in one of the Gaza-area communities on Sunday.
"This booklet is an operating manual, how to enter citizens' yards, kibbutz, city, moshav, how to break in there. And first - and what do you do when you find the citizens? You torture them. This is the booklet that says exactly how to torture them, how to kidnap them," Herzog told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
In a copy of the guide provided for the press, the manual -- titled "The Warrior's Guide: Jihadi Version" -- outlines tactics, which include creating chaos, intimidating captives, and using tactics such as electric shocks and even live executions.
The eight-page guide instructs the kidnappers to utilize captives as human shields if attacked, regardless of their religion, race, or gender. The hostages should be "killed when necessary," especially if there is any sign of revolt among them, it said, while instructed terrorists to document their actions live.
Many of the terrorists wore GoPro cameras and their footage was uploaded to social media.