Netanyahu recalled, in a video speech published on his profile in the social network X, that "76 years ago" the Israelis were alone. "Few against many. Five Arab armies invaded our territory to eliminate the country that had just been born," he pointed out. "Today we are stronger than ever, but the will to destroy us has not disappeared, it is still here. We saw that on October 7 (...) This is not just any Independence Day, but it is a special opportunity to understand the meaning of our independence," he added.

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— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 13, 2024

The Israeli Prime Minister also dedicated a few words to the families of the hostages, who "are suffering terribly", and reiterated that all those kidnapped by Palestinian militias in the Gaza Strip will return home "safe and sound", according to 'The Times of Israel', quoted by the Europa Press agency.

Before the official ceremony, which was pre-recorded this year, almost a thousand people gathered today in an amphitheater in Binyamina, in northern Israel, to demand the rescue of the hostages.

The indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a truce in Gaza associated with the release of hostages seem to be at an impasse, after the delegations of the mediating countries (Egypt, Qatar and the United States) left Cairo on Thursday without an agreement, after lengthy negotiations.

One of the big differences in relation to other years is that the traditional lighting of the torches will take place in the 'kibbutzim' near the Palestinian enclave and that were attacked on October 7 by Palestinian militias.

Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will not have fireworks, according to local authorities, and all events will be held on a smaller scale to respect the pain of the families of the hostages.

On October 7, fighters from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) - since 2007 in power in the Gaza Strip and classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel - carried out an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory, killing more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians.

They also took more than 250 hostages, 128 of whom remain in captivity and 36 have since died, according to the latest assessment by the Israeli army.

In retaliation, Israel declared a war to "eradicate" Hamas, which today entered its 220th day, continuing to threaten to spread throughout the Middle East region, and has so far caused 35,034 deaths in the Gaza Strip, more than 78,000 injured and thousands of missing people presumably buried in the rubble, mostly civilians, according to updated figures from local authorities.

The conflict has also caused almost two million displaced people, plunging the overcrowded and poor Palestinian enclave into a serious humanitarian crisis, with more than 1.1 million people in a "catastrophic hunger situation" that is claiming victims - "the highest number ever recorded" by the UN in food security studies worldwide.

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