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‘Unity Is Our Strength’: Israeli Consul General in NY Shares Message of Hope, Resilience Before Jewish High Holidays
Consul General of Israel in New York Ofir Akunis speaking at a reception on Sept. 15, 2025, in New York City to mark the start of the Jewish New Year. Photo: Provided
The consul general of Israel in New York spoke to The Algemeiner about his plans and hopes for the Jewish High Holidays, as well as the security of Israel and the broader Middle East as the Jewish state continues its military campaign targeting Hamas terrorists in the region.
“The most important thing is the unity. The unity is our strength,” Ofir Akunis told The Algemeiner in an interview last week. “If we continue to stand united as one nation, we’ll defeat all our enemies and bring a better place to the state of Israel and the Jewish communities around the world.”
He also quoted a Hebrew liturgical poem read during Rosh Hashanah prayers called “Ahot Ketanah” which in English means: “May the year end with its curses, and may the new year begin with its blessings.”
Oct. 7 will mark two years since Hamas’s 2023 invasion of and massacre across southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, starting the war in Gaza. Hamas terrorists also took 251 hostages, 48 of whom remain in captivity in Gaza. This year will also be the first time that Akunis is celebrating the Jewish High Holidays — which begin on Monday night with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year — without his two children, who are both serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The consul general said ahead of the holidays he is praying for the speedy return home of the remaining 48 hostages and holds both Hamas and Qatar – a large financial and diplomatic supporter of the terrorist organization – responsible for those still in captivity. Akunis called on the international community to put pressure on Hamas and Qatari leadership to release the remaining hostages.
Earlier this month, Israel launched its ground offensive in Gaza City following weeks of airstrikes, and the military has continued to push deeper into Hamas’s main stronghold. Meanwhile, the Jewish state has also carried out strikes against Hamas leaders in Qatar, which for years has hosted top leaders of the terrorist group, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Hezbollah and the Houthis are, like Hamas, internationally designated terrorist groups backed by Iran.
Akunis, who is also the acting consul general of Israel in Miami, defended his country’s escalation of military actions in the Middle East.
“We are a very, very strong nation. One of the most ancient nations in the world, and after a long, long journey, the journey is still ongoing … And what we are doing right now [is] to protect our people, defend our nation,” he told The Algemeiner. “And we didn’t start the fire on Simchat Torah – they did, ” he added, referring to the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, which occurred on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the annual Torah-reading cycle and the beginning of a new one.
“What we are doing now in the Middle East against terror organizations – it’s not against the Lebanese,” the consul general explained. “We want to live in peace with the Lebanese; we want to live in peace with the Syrians like we are living [in peace] with the Jordanians, Egyptians, Moroccans, Emirates, and Bahrainians … It’s not because we have something against the Gazans; we have a lot against Hamas.”
“We want to live in peace in our region,” he continued. “We cannot live with terror organizations around us anymore. Not with Hezbollah. Not with Hamas, the Houthis, or the other Iranian proxies. The Middle East can be heaven on earth, the center of the world. Why not? There’s one reason: The Iranian proxies and the terror organizations. And when we will defeat the terror organization – and it will be very soon – you will see a new Middle East of peace and prosperity.”
Akunis, like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, compared the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, to the Hamas-led Oct. 7 atrocities. When asked for his response to those who criticize Israel’s military actions, Akunis asked, “What would you do? If those monsters would rape your women, will cut your heads, burn you alive – what would you do? And I know the answer. Much worse than Israel.”
The Israeli diplomat also singled out French President Emmanuel Macron for his harsh rebuke of Israel’s war in Gaza, criticism which Akunis claimed is being done because Macron wants “the Muslims in France to vote for him.” France’s Muslim population is over 6 million, making it the largest in Europe.
“We must clean these streets from Hamas terrorists; to destroy all their tunnels,” Akunis said. “Put yourself in our shoes. We must stand as one.”
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.