Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said today during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the unprecedented attack by the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas on Israeli soil, that Israel has an obligation to bring back the hostages.

“On this day, in this place and in numerous parts of our country, we remember our dead, our hostages – whom we are obliged to bring back, and our heroes who fell in defense of the homeland and the country,” Netanyahu said at the ceremony held in Jerusalem. “We lived through a terrible massacre a year ago and we stood up as a people, like lions.”

For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant expressed his commitment to do everything possible to “defeat” Israel’s enemies.

“We are deeply committed to continue to take all necessary measures to defeat our enemies and defend our homeland,” Gallant stressed in a statement.

For his part, Jerusalem Mayor Moses Lyon issued a parallel call for unity: “From Jerusalem, a city that is the symbol of unity, comes the message of unity, and each of us has the duty to continue together and act as one.”

“As the months of war have taught us well, our strength lies in our unity. Only together will we win,” Lyon stressed.