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Memorial Ceremony for October 7 Held in the Gaza Envelop Region (Sunday, Oct 4)

05 October 2026

2,500 residents of the Gaza Envelop (Otef Aza) region attended a memorial ceremony honoring October 7: “We will remember the massacre forever. We will remember, repair and rebuild Israel.” The rally, held at the Iron Swords Forest, was attended by members of kibbutzim and moshavim in the Western Negev, residents of southern cities, bereaved families, survivors of captivity, representatives of the security forces, KKL-JNF, Magen David Adom, and youth movements.

The ceremony was held at the memorial forest established by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) in memory of those murdered and fallen in the massacre and the war. As part of the establishment of the forest, trees were planted by bereaved families, and beside each tree a memorial plaque was placed allowing visitors to listen to a song selected by the family in memory of their loved one.

The ceremony was led by KKL-JNF, the Kibbutz Movement, the Moshavim Movement, Eshkol Regional Council, and Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council. The organizations committed to continuing to hold the memorial ceremony for the October 7 massacre for generations to come, specifically here, in the Gaza border region.

Eyal Ostreinsky, Chairman of KKL-JNF: “Three years after October 7, our commitment to the Gaza border region is expressed not only through remembrance and commemoration, but through daily action on the ground. For us, October 7 is not merely one day a year when we bow our heads, but a defining day after which, for 1,093 days, KKL-JNF employees have risen every morning and worked alongside the communities and people of the Gaza border region — through action, not words. KKL-JNF will continue to play a meaningful role in the region’s recovery, rehabilitation, rebuilding and strengthening of its communities. We will not allow anyone to defile the memory or bring politics, big or small, into the sacred grief. We will not dictate to the communities how they should commemorate their loved ones. The residents of the Gaza border region who choose, every day anew, community, settlement and life are our picture of victory.”

Photo: Edi Israel, KKL-JNF PR

Lior Simcha, Secretary-General of the Kibbutz Movement: “We will remember the October 7 massacre forever. We will remember the failure that allowed the Nukhba terrorists to defile places that had been considered completely safe. In kibbutzim, there is a custom of not locking the doors of one’s home – a symbol of trust among neighbors. This human paradise, which the pioneers of our country sought to create, the enemy sought to smash to pieces. They sought not only to murder us, but to murder the soul of the nation. But they cannot take our spirit, our dreams, or our very essence. We will renew the bonds of trust among us, our solidarity and Israeli fellowship. What happened must never happen again. We must look the truth straight in the eye, and we will demand a state commission of inquiry. We owe this to our sons, our fallen and our wounded. We will remember. We will repair. We will rebuild Israel. Only then will we be worthy of their memory.”

Amit Yifrah, Secretary-General of the Moshavim Movement and Chairman of the Israel Farmers Federation: “It is difficult to stand here and speak about October 7. It is especially difficult when you are a member of Moshav Ohad in Eshkol. These are the landscapes of my childhood: the fields, the roads, the communities. This is home. And on October 7, my – our – home became a battlefield. We remember those who were murdered and those who fell, and we will carry their memory with us forever. But the place they loved so much cannot remain only the place where their lives were cut short. Our responsibility is to turn it into a place where life continues to grow, where people return home, work the land, rebuild communities and raise the next generation here. Because the true way to commemorate those who are no longer with us is to continue what they loved; to live here, build here and grow a future here. The lives that continue to flourish here will be our victory and their legacy.”

Michal Uziyahu, Head of the Eshkol Regional Council: “At a time when so many forces are working to distort reality and make us forget what we experienced, we are committed to reminding everyone that what happened really happened. We are committed to remembering the many souls we lost in our communities and at the festivals, and the bravery of the civilian security teams, our soldiers, police officers and security forces. Alongside the disaster, extraordinary heroism was also revealed in all its glory. Here, in our home in Eshkol, we are witnessing the rare strength of growth and hope. 752 babies have been born in Eshkol since October 7. Communities are returning, families and young people are joining them, and farmers continue to work the land. Our commitment is to ensure a different reality for our children. Because what happened really happened, and it is our responsibility to ensure that it never happens again. The wheat is growing again because we choose it. We choose life and hope.”

Photo: Edi Israel, KKL-JNF PR

Uri Epstein, Head of the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council: “On October 7, they took from me my eldest son, Neta; my mother, Bilha; my brother-in-law, Ofir; my nephew, Nitzan; and my brother-in-law, Uri. The pain does not go away, but I am not alone in my pain. That same Saturday, I told my daughter: We choose life. Soon, wheat will be sown in the fields of the Western Negev, the same soil that absorbed fire and blood and will now absorb seeds of hope. The children who grow up here will see communities that have returned home, homes being rebuilt, and a future that chooses life. Three years later, we demand to know the truth. We demand a state commission of inquiry. Because without truth there is no accountability; without accountability there is no trust; and without trust, we cannot rebuild our home. We will remember, demand the truth, repair, sow, build and live.”

A special Yizkor prayer written by the Shitim Institute for the October 7 massacre was read:

"May the people of Israel remember its sons and daughters, the faithful and the brave, the people of labor and peace, victims of the massacre of that Black Saturday, 5784. May we remember those murdered in their homes, in the fields and on the roads, in the communities of the Western Negev that were breached and overrun by a cruel and merciless enemy. May we remember the mother who, with the last of her strength, held the handle of an iron door to protect her family from the enemy standing opposite her. May we remember the father who threw his children from the window of their burning home, then leapt after them and took the bullets into his own body. May we remember the friends dancing at dawn, only to find themselves fleeing through the fields from the murderers, with nowhere to escape. May we remember the members of the security and rescue forces, and the civilians who rushed from across the country to help their attacked brothers and sisters, and who fell on the battlefield."

The artists who performed at the event were David D’Or, Yuval Dayan, Keren Peles and Shai Hamber.

Photo: Edi Israel, KKL-JNF PR