At the time of the fatal explosion, Bulgaria, a peaceful nation living in safety and peace, joined the growing family of nations that have become victim of terrorist acts. Innocence vanishes suddenly, never to return. Every country hopes and wishes that this moment will never come until the terrorists decide otherwise, without selecting the means, without considering borders, without distinguishing the identity of the victims. This is what the Israeli ambassador said in his speech us Yossi Levi Sfari, who attended the commemorative ceremony at Burgas Airport in memory of the victims who died in the explosion 12 years ago, quoted by BTA.
In his address to the relatives of the dead and those present at the ceremony, the Israeli ambassador pointed out that there are no comforting words to express the pain and fill the void in the hearts.
"Along with the memory and pain that accompanies us, we commit ourselves to prevent terrorism forever. "Our thirst for life is much stronger than their barbaric desire for death, destruction and destruction," said Yossi Levi Sfari. He added that the murderous monster known as “terrorism” does not rest for a moment.
„We in Israel live with this day after day, hour after hour. The horror culminated in the massacre on October 7, when the most brutal terrorist attack in the country's history was carried out by Hamas terrorists, the diplomat said.
The honorary consul of Israel in Burgas, Orlin Mandov, the regional governor of the Burgas region, Maria Neikova, the mayor of Burgas, Dimitar Nikolov, General Ventsislav Mutafchiyski, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, the minister at the time of the attack, prosecutors, representatives also arrived for the commemorative ceremony at Burgas Airport. of Burgas Airport and the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs-Burgas, members of the public, politicians, representatives of bereaved families, the Jewish community, etc. The father of the Bulgarian driver Mustafa Kisiov, who died in the terrorist act, was also present at the scene.
Coby Price, a representative of the bereaved families, said he vividly remembers the first phone call on the afternoon of July 18 when he first heard about the attack.
„The conversation was the beginning of a nerve-wracking journey of faith and hope, hardship and terror, and helplessness. "We were finally informed of the murder of our dear son," Price said.
The mayor of Burgas, Dimitar Nikolov, pointed out that the grief is getting bigger from the cruel loss of six human lives. He expressed sympathy and empathy to the relatives and friends of the victims of the insurmountable loss.
An honorary address by the head of state Rumen Radev was read at the ceremony. It says: "In the face of this tragedy, the peoples of Bulgaria and Israel remained empathetic, in solidarity and faithful to their enduring and tested friendship. We have proven that, traditionally, our strong, historical ties, reciprocity and trust manifest themselves especially strongly in difficult moments.
The ceremony at the airport ended with a prayer and the anthems of Bulgaria and Israel.
BTA recalls that 12 years ago on this date, around 17:23 local time, in the parking lot in front of the arrivals terminal, a bomb exploded from the luggage compartment of a bus. The explosion occurred during the loading of luggage and check-in of tourists who had arrived by flight from Tel Aviv. The explosion killed six to five Israeli tourists and the Bulgarian bus driver Mustafa Kyosov. The bomb also killed the bomber. Nearly 40 people were injured.
The investigation lasted nearly eight years. It established that three Lebanese had organized the attack in Bulgaria. One died in the explosion, the other two left the country with a false identity. They have been missing since then, and their sentences are in absentia. At the second instance, they were sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. They are wanted by Interpol.