IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, at an event marking 20 years of the Adopt a Soldier Program and the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers on Tuesday evening, addressed the antisemitic terror attack in Sydney, speaking as the first Hanukkah candle was lit.
“Tonight, as we light the candles, our hearts beat for our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora - particularly the Jewish community of Sydney,” Zamir said. “We mourn the victims and pray for the wounded.”
Zamir stressed that the hatred behind the attack was not isolated. “The same hatred that fuels attacks against Israelis also fuels attacks against Jews in Australia,” he said.
Referring to the events of October 7, the Chief of Staff said the war that began on that date was directed against the entire Jewish people and against Western civilization as a whole. He issued a warning to the international community, stating that countries that fail to fight radical and fundamental terrorist organizations, armed with false propaganda on social media, will pay a heavy price.
“Terror, like in Sydney, will spread to other places,” Zamir warned, calling for a shared moral commitment that draws a clear distinction between good and evil and leads to the triumph of light over darkness. He noted that since October 7, the IDF has been on the front line of what he described as a battle for good.
Zamir concluded by linking the message to the festival of Hanukkah. He said the holiday symbolizes the struggle of the Maccabees and their determination to preserve Jewish identity and national freedom. The IDF, he added, will continue to defend the Jewish people, protect the citizens of Israel, and ensure the security of the Jewish state.