Foreign Ambassadors Moved to Tears During Nova Site Visit

Six ambassadors to the UN in Geneva, representing countries from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, visited Israel this week as part of an effort by the Foreign Ministry to expose the international community to the realities Israel has faced. The group included ambassadors from Gambia, Zambia, Ethiopia, Panama, Fiji, and Mongolia.

During their visit to the Nova music festival site, the scene of a massacre on October 7th, the Gambian ambassador, Mamadou Kah, stated, "Now I truly understand what you went through on October 7th. It is incomprehensible." Kah, who chairs several UN technology committees, also visited a technology hub in Sderot specializing in disaster response, expressing interest in bringing its life-saving VR technology to the UN. As a Muslim, he also visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Fijian ambassador, Isikeli Tuiwa, was so moved that he called the Prime Minister of Fiji to arrange for engineers to assist Gaza border communities. He stated, "You help us, but I want my nation to help you."

Led by Israel's Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Maron, the delegation also visited Kibbutz Nahal Oz, the Sderot memorial, and other locations in the north and Tel Aviv. Maron noted two particularly emotional moments: at the Nova site, where a survivor recounted her story of pretending to be dead, and at a meeting with the "Save a Child's Heart" foundation, where they saw children from their home countries receive life-saving heart surgeries performed by Israeli doctors. Doctors also shared how Israel's national aid agency, Mashav, contributes to various countries.

Maron observed that the ambassadors likened the October 7th attacks to 9/11 and were impressed by the resilience of the Israeli people and the coexistence they witnessed in Jaffa. "Their views on Israel have changed completely," Maron said, adding that while it's uncertain if their countries will always vote with Israel at the UN, "they are now fully with us" in discussions and when highlighting Israel's contributions.