President Isaac Herzog opened the second day of the memorial journey in the border communities this morning. The president has now visited the kibbutzim Alumim, Nahal Oz, Kfar Aza, and the Nahal Oz outpost.
At the Nahal Oz outpost, the president made a heartfelt statement to the army on the anniversary of the bloodiest say in Jewish history since the holocaust saying, "I want to thank all the commanders and all the soldiers, and to say that even in this place, where the people of Israel went through one of their most dramatic and difficult days – on October 7th, a year ago, a terrible massacre during which and afterwards, we lost many of our beloved sons and daughters in numerous battles, who we will remember forever." We met countless bereaved families, families of captives, injured individuals, and many families talking about what happened here during this year.
At the end of his remarks, Herzog sent a bold message to the military leadership regarding the investigation into the outpost: "I very much hope that the investigation will be published in a full and comprehensive manner, to shed light on everything that happened." It won't change the reality, but it's good to know the truth in order to learn lessons. We will continue to act, pray, and do everything to bring the abducted women and men home.
