Thousands Gather in Gaza Envelope for Memorial Event

Thousands of residents from the western Negev gathered Sunday evening at the "Iron Swords Forest" for a memorial ceremony honoring victims of the October 7th massacre. The event, organized by KKL-JNF, the Kibbutz Movement, the Moshav Movement, and the Eshkol and Sha'ar HaNegev regional councils, was held in the Gaza Envelope region, with organizers pledging to continue the annual commemoration.

The ceremony took place in a 367-dunam forest near Kibbutz Be'eri, adjacent to the Nova music festival site. Families of the fallen and survivors of captivity planted trees, each accompanied by a memorial plaque featuring a song chosen in memory of their loved ones.

Performers such as Keren Peles, Shi Haimber, David D'Or, and Yuval Dayan participated, alongside siblings Dean and Itai Zohar from Kibbutz Erez, and Romi Shahar from Kibbutz Reim, who sang in memory of Dolav Yehud, a fallen soldier and brother of hostage survivor Arbel Yehud.

Host Udi Segal opened the event with a special Yizkor prayer composed by the Institute of Shittim, commemorating the victims of the "black Shabbat." The prayer evoked the bravery of those who defended their families and communities, the first responders, and all who perished.

Uri Epstein shared his personal grief and reiterated calls for a state inquiry commission, stating, "They sought not only to murder us, but to murder the soul of the nation. But our soul, our spirit, our dreams they cannot take." He emphasized the need to rebuild trust and solidarity, vowing, "We will remember. We will correct. We will rebuild Israel anew."

Eyal Ostrovsky pledged KKL-JNF's continued commitment to the region's recovery and settlement, while Amit Yifrah stressed that the true way to honor the fallen is to continue living, building, and growing the next generation in the area. Michal Uziel addressed attempts to distort the reality of the events, asserting the need to remember the victims and the heroism of security forces and civilians.