On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his heartfelt wishes to Israelis and his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on the occasion of Hanukkah. Writing in Hebrew on X (formerly Twitter), the Prime Minister expressed his hope that the festival would bring "peace, hope, and light in everyone's lives."
Hanukkah, a Jewish festival, is observed to commemorate the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean revolt. Spanning eight nights, the festival is marked by candle lighting and the frying of foods in oil, symbolizing the miracle where oil for a ceremonial lamp, initially sufficient for a day, miraculously burned for eight.
Recognized as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah will be celebrated this year from December 7 to 15. In Israel, this marks the first Jewish festival since October 7, a date marred by a surprise attack from Hamas terrorists resulting in approximately 1,200 casualties and the abduction of at least 240 people to Gaza. Of these hostages, more than 100, primarily women, children, and non-Israelis, have been released. In response, Israel initiated a significant ground offensive in Gaza as a retaliation measure, causing the unfortunate loss of more than 15,000 lives, according to figures from Palestinian health officials.
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