President Herzog Addresses the State Memorial Ceremony for the Victims of the October 7th Terror Attack

On October 5, 2026, President Isaac Herzog addressed the State Memorial Ceremony for the Victims of the October 7th Terror Attack at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.

President Isaac Herzog:

“Three years since the day of our catastrophe, October 7th, we bow our heads in memory of those who were murdered and those who fell in battle, and we stand by your side, our dear and beloved bereaved families.

“The map of mourning of October 7th includes communities and towns, kibbutzim and moshavim, fields, and roadside shelters. And it also includes one road. On the morning of October 7th, Route 232 ceased to be an ordinary road. Bloodthirsty terrorists turned it into a war zone. Through it, they infiltrated towns, kibbutzim, and communities, turning the quiet streets of a Shabbat morning into a battlefield. They took the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians, Israeli women and men, and alongside them many foreign nationals who had bound their fate with ours.

“But it also became a road of rescue. In one direction, many were forced to flee, seeking to save their lives or to call for help. In the other direction, at the very same time, people drove toward the danger to offer that very help. They set out to save their sisters and brothers. And through their heroism, we discovered one of the great truths about Israel: when someone is left by the side of the road, there are Israelis who simply cannot keep driving as if they had not seen them.

“This is Israeli heroism, unmatched anywhere in the world. We saw it again just last week, in the grave disaster averted in the skies thanks to the remarkable resourcefulness of Israeli passengers on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.“