Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized the close bilateral ties in their meeting in Jerusalem Sunday.

Herzog thanked Mitsotakis “ for being supportive and being with us in this incredible partnership between Greece and Israel.”

The President spoke at length about the predicament of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

“You are coming to Israel when we are inundated with worry and pain about our hostages in Gaza, dozens and dozens of Israelis and non-Israelis who are there in the dungeons of Gaza, alive and dead in the midst of a barbaric treatment. We are getting very disturbing reports about their medical situation. And of course, the cruelty that has been Hamas’s way of behaving has been tormenting families and the entire nation,” Herzog said in his opening remarks. He also mentioned Ionas Karussis, a young Jewish-Greek victim of a terror attack in Jaffa whose parents Mitsotakis met.

“You know how much value we place in the strategic partnership between Greece and Israel,” the Prime Minister responded. “Let me add my voice to those who call for the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages,” he added.

The Greek government will soon announce a scholarship program honoring Karussis to bring closer young students who want to study either in Israel or in Greece. “I think it is the least we can do to honor his memory,” Mitsotakis said.

Signing the president’s guest book, Mitsotaks wrote of his desire “to underline the strategic partnership and strong ties of friendship between our people, in good times and in bad.”

Source: Ekathimerini.com