TheCable

Michael Freeman, Israeli ambassador to Nigeria, says his country will do everything possible to defeat the Palestinian militant group, Hamas.

In the early hours of Saturday, the Hamas fighters infiltrated Israel in an unprecedented assault.

At least 100 people in Israel were confirmed killed at the onset of the invasion, with many more left badly injured.

Nearly 200 people were killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes in the Gaza strip.

Mohammed Deif, Hamas military commander, had said the attacks were a reprisal for Israel’s “desecration” of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Deif alleged that Israel killed and wounded hundreds of Palestinians this year.

Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Freeman said the ongoing battle between Israel and the Palestinian group was caused by hatred.

“This is about good and evil. This is about civilisation and barbarism. Either you stand with people who are defending themselves or you stand with those who cut the heads off babies. That is what this is about,” Freeman said.

“It is not about anything else. Nigeria has also known terrorism. You know what it is like when terror groups like Boko Haram kidnap young girls.

“There is never a reason for it except for hate. This is not about religion. This is not about Islam or Judaism or Christianity, this is about evil and good.

“These Hamas terrorists are using the name of Islam. I have spoken to many Muslims, Imams, religious leaders who have expressed their shock and their outrage and their disgust of what we have seen because they know that this gives a bad name to anybody who is claiming to be doing this in the name of Islam.

“Israel is going to do what it needs to do in the coming days and weeks in order to destroy Hamas because if you want peace and you want to see an accommodation between Israelis and Palestinians, then Hamas can have no part of that.

“We as a people are in shock. We are in mourning and anybody who tries to justify this, I think that that is clear to all of us that anyone who will not condemn this; anyone who will not come out in a clear voice condemning this, needs to ask where their moral compass is if you cannot loudly and clearly condemn the murder of nearly a thousand civilians; of cutting off the heads of babies.”

The ambassador further said Israel would wage war against the Hamas group, adding that everything possible would be done to avoid civilian casualties.

“Hamas is ISIS. That is who they are and that is how we have to treat them,” he said.

“We are going to wage a war on Hamas now and I want to be very clear. War is a dirty game and war is a terrible thing. But sometimes it is necessary; this is one of those cases where it is necessary and where it is justified.

“We will do everything we can to avoid civilian casualties; we will do everything we can, but civilians will get killed, we should prepare ourselves for that.”