Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman has expressed that Israel’s top priority remains ending the ongoing Gaza conflict, ensuring national security, and securing the safe return of all remaining hostages.
Speaking during an interview in ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Freeman stated that Israel had fully accepted all the terms in the U.S.-brokered peace plan, while Hamas continues to stall progress through conditional responses.
“We want this war to end. We want our hostages back, and we want Hamas to no longer pose a threat to Israel or to the Palestinians or to the region,” Freeman said.
The ambassador stressed that the conflict could have ended long ago if Hamas had agreed to disarm and release captives. “Prime Minister Netanyahu accepted every one of the 20 points that President Trump laid out in his peace plan, and Hamas said yes, but not this, not that, not the other,” he explained.
Freeman condemned Hamas in the strongest terms, describing it as “a barbaric terror organisation” responsible for unprecedented atrocities against civilians. He explained, “Hamas is a barbaric terror organisation that, two years ago to the day, carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
“Thousands of Hamas terrorists came across the border, murdered, butchered, tortured, raped, and burnt alive Israelis who were at parties, at festivals, and even sleeping in their beds. These were innocent civilians.”
He stressed that the memory of the October 7 attacks remains a painful reminder of Hamas’s brutality and why Israel insists that the group must be disarmed before any lasting peace can be achieved. “When we talk about Hamas, we need to remember who we’re talking about. Their actions were not acts of resistance, they were acts of terror.”
On the progress of negotiations, Freeman expressed optimism that the long-awaited ceasefire could be near if Hamas complies with the agreed conditions.
“We’ve said all along, when Hamas agrees to lay down their arms and release the hostages, this conflict will be over,” he said.
Further speaking, he added that Israel’s interest in Gaza was not territorial but purely defensive. “We have absolutely no territorial desire over Gaza. We don’t want to be in Gaza. We never wanted to be there in the first place.”
On the humanitarian front, the ambassador expressed hope that the remaining 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive, will soon be freed. “We know that of the 48 hostages 20 are still alive. We hope that during the Jewish festival of Sukkot, we will see the release of our hostages,” he added.
Freeman also spoke emotionally about the plight of the remaining hostages still held by Hamas, saying, “They have been held underground in tunnels, starved and tortured. We saw the pictures Hamas released, the sick video of a victim who looked like a Holocaust survivor, all skin and bones, being forced to dig his own grave.”
As negotiations continue in Egypt, Freeman maintained optimism but cautioned that peace depends entirely on Hamas. “There will be an agreement if Hamas agree to lay down their arms, give up power, and understand they cannot carry out another October 7th,” he said.
Nancy Mbamalu
About the Author
