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Tel Aviv [Israel], March 30 (ANI/TPS): Israel's Foreign Minister, Israel Katz held a meeting with the visiting Foreign Minister of Belgium Hadja Lahbib, who was born in Algeria.
Katz took her on a tour of Sderot, one of Israel's "frontline" communities located just north of Gaza and which was attacked during the October 7 massacre. Lahbib also visited a Kibbutz destroyed on that day. Katz called their meeting "poignant." The Minister said he "made it clear to her that Israel will continue to defend itself against the Hamas murderers in Gaza, even if the entire world places pressure on us." "Her role as a leader is to support us," said Katz, "even in the face of internal pressures, because our war is their war and that of the entire free world against Iran and radical Islam. If they do not stand with us today- they will meet Islamic terrorism in their counties and cities tomorrow." "We will not stop until we return all of the hostages and destroy Hamas," he added. During their meeting in Sderot they heard from Israeli-Arab I Salem Alatrash, brother of the Israeli soldier Mohammed held hostage in Gaza, who said, "Before they release my brother, I would like to apply pressure so that they release the girls first - what is happening to them there is horrific." Lahbib said of the meeting that she presented Belgium's condolences for the Israeli victims and reiterated "our full commitment to advocating for the immediate release of the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas." However, she also called for an immediate ceasefire and full access for humanitarian aid to reach civilians in Gaza, even in the absence of an agreement for the release hostages and that Israel's planned offensive on Rafah "must not be carried out" because it would have "dramatic consequences." (ANI/TPS)
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