Herzog at Nova Festival Site: 'We Will Dance Again, We Will Live Again'

Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the site of the Nova music festival in Re'im on Wednesday, three years after the October 7th Hamas attacks, to attend a memorial ceremony for the hundreds killed and abducted. Speaking to international media at the massacre site, Herzog recalled the thousands of young people from Israel and 36 other countries who gathered to "sing, dance, and celebrate life" before being attacked. "They were horribly massacred, killed, tortured, raped, and taken hostage to Gaza," Herzog stated, adding, "We are here to tell their story, to remember, and to tell the world: we will dance again, we will live again."

Describing Israel as "a nation in pain" but demonstrating "immense resilience" three years on, Herzog emphasized Israel's right to security while expressing a desire for peace with its neighbors. "We are a nation like all nations. We have the inherent right to defend ourselves and to fight terrorism. But we aspire to peace, and we want our neighbors to live in peace as well," he said.

Herzog also urged the international community to work towards disarming Hamas, which he called a necessary condition for peace, and to combat what he termed "the evil empire of Tehran." He concluded by offering blessings for the memory of the victims and thanking those who have shared in the grief of the victims' families.