Roey Gilad and Kenneth Gilbert Adjei raising a toast to commemorate the 77th independence celebration
Israelis in Ghana yesterday marked their 77 Independence Day celebration themed, “Bridges of Hope” in Accra.
The celebration organised by Israel’s embassy witnessed the assembling of diplomats from various embassies in the country, politicians and citizens of Israel among other invited guests.
In his speech, the Ambassador of the State of Israel to Ghana, Roey Gilad, stated that the bilateral relations between Ghana and Israel have not been without challenges, sighting the geographic distance between the two states and the need for two flights to commute between them as a major challenge confronting the two nations.
“The financial crises that Ghana went through in 2022 and the war we are going through in Israel for the last year and a half that changed our order of priorities and consumed much of our resources,” he added.
Ambassador Roey Gilad, however, stated that facing those challenges and others the Israeli-Ghanaian partnership has been strengthened in areas such as Agriculture Cyber security, High-tech, Defense among other elements of the cooperation.
Addressing the 7th October Massacre, Ambassador Roey Gilad said, “during this horrible massacre Israel lost nearly 1,200 people – civilians and soldiers. In the war that followed the massacre — A war that is known as ‘The Iron Swords’ – we lost in all the different fronts more than 560 soldiers. ”
“Two of those victims are associated with the Israeli community in Ghana. Sergeant Amir Fisher 7″T who was killed on the 7th of October, 23 — the day of the massacre — and Captain Guy Nizri 9″T who was killed a year later — in October 2024,” he said.
Ambassador Roey Gilad furthered stated that during the massacre 251 Israelis were kidnapped to Gaza by Hamas terrorists. “Out of the 251 captives, 59 are still held in Gaza after 578 days – 578 days of horror, pain and uncertainty, not only for them but also for us. Until their release — those who are alive and those who are not — our wounds as people and as individuals are still open and cannot be healed,” he said.
The Israeli Ambassador further indicated that since the beginning of the war – Hamas has the key to bring an end to the tragedy.
“Hamas needs to release our hostages, lay down the weapons and leave Gaza. As much as the situation looks gloomy today, I strongly believe that the relations between Israelis and Palestinians can and should be different. The conflict between us and the Palestinians is more than 100 years old and it is now in one of its lowest points ever,” he added.
Ghana’s Minister for Works, Housing, and Water Resources, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, highlighted the growing partnership between Ghana and Israel, adding that despite geographical distances, the two countries have strengthened their collaboration over the years, marked by high-level exchanges and a shared commitment to development and innovation.
He added that Israeli investments in Ghana continue to grow, contributing to the country’s development, emphasising that this partnership is yielding benefits in various sectors, including infrastructure, technology, and innovation.
By Prince Fiifi Yorke