Michal Uziyahu, Head of Eshkol Regional Council: “We will continue this journey together, demanding that responsibility be taken and that a commission of inquiry be established, while ensuring that we create a different reality and genuine security, not merely a sense of security.”
The Eshkol Regional Council commemorated the 259 residents who were murdered at its main memorial ceremony marking three years since October 7. Three years after the disaster, as the return and rehabilitation process is still underway, residents of the council gathered to remember those who were murdered, strengthen the bereaved families and reinforce the bonds between the communities. The ceremony, held at the council grounds, was attended by residents from all of the Eshkol communities, including residents of communities who have not yet returned to their homes, as well as bereaved families and survivors of captivity. The council noted that since October 7, more than 750 babies have been born in Eshkol. This is a symbol of hope and recovery for the council.
During the ceremony, remarks were delivered by Michal Uziyahu, Head of Eshkol Regional Council; Eyal Ostreinsky, Chairman of KKL-JNF; Major General Yaniv Bar, Head of the Southern Command; Yair Wisner, who was critically wounded and lost his hand in the battle for Kerem Shalom; Adi Gabbay, who lost her son Amit; and Yonatan Skribski, who lost his father Rudi. Their words brought the personal stories of community members to the forefront, as well as the loss that has continued to accompany them since that day.
Michal Uziyahu, Head of Eshkol Regional Council, said: “Three years later, all of our hostages have returned home and our communities continue on their journey back, but there are no shortcuts. At times, it seems that the pain is even greater now, and only now are we beginning to process another layer of what happened to us. Two hundred and fifty-nine of our loved ones were murdered, 119 were abducted, and young people from across the country were murdered while dancing here. But look at us, three years later. The communities have returned and are going through a meaningful process of growth. New homes are being built in Mivtachim, a young families’ neighborhood has been inaugurated in Nirim, Be’eri residents will return next year, and in the meantime, seventh-grade students have begun studying here. There is not a single vacant home in Nir Oz, and a first wedding since October 7 has even taken place there. Eshkol is home to 800 young people participating in national service and pre-military preparatory programs, and families from across the country are joining our communities. Eshkol Regional Council is a community. We will continue this journey together, demanding that responsibility be taken and that a commission of inquiry be established, while ensuring that we create a different reality and genuine security, not merely a sense of security. In memory of those who were murdered and fell, and inspired by their legacy, we will do everything we can to be worthy of them.
As a native of the region and someone who grew up and was educated in the Western Negev, Major General Yaniv Bar also spoke about the road ahead and the IDF’s responsibility to ensure that the threat to communities in southern Israel would never return to what it had been. He said: “The work is not over. The journey of recovery is not complete. We are determined not to rest until we break their power and their spirit.”
Major General Bar went on to deliver a clear message to Hamas: “I would like to use this sacred platform to send an unequivocal warning to Hamas: Any attempt to attack IDF soldiers or residents of the Negev will be met with a sharp and powerful response from us.”
Eyal Ostreinsky, Chairman of KKL-JNF, said: “I look at you, the brave women and men who choose life every morning, and think of those who are no longer with us, and I say to myself: We will never truly be worthy of you. Not because we are not good enough, but because everything pales in comparison to this courage. As we have done over the past three years since the day everything changed, KKL-JNF will continue to stand alongside you to help rebuild, commemorate and build in the deepest sense of the word.”