One thousand days after the October 7 massacres, President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog hosted a gathering at the Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, the president's spokesperson said in a statement.
At the kibbutz, which is located on the border with Gaza and Egypt, the president and first lady listened to personal stories of its residents, "detailing the challenges they faced during the war, alongside the resilience and courageous choice to rebuild the kibbutz and return home."
At the gathering, the president praised the kibbutz members for their resilience in returning to the area after the deadly attacks.
Also present at the gathering was the mother of Sergeant Yaron Zohar, who was killed defending the kibbutz.
“The thousandth day since October 7th is not merely a marker in time," he said, adding that "it is a reminder of Israel's capacity to grow out of crisis and unbearable pain: to remember, and never to forget. To rise with an overwhelming will to build, to live, to act, and never to give up. This is the story of Israeli resilience."
"Our enemy made no distinction among us. He came to destroy us all. Our answer, and our true victory, lies in action: in rebuilding and in returning to the kibbutzim. Our answer is in the laughter of children in kindergartens filling the communities of the South and North once again."
"We will continue to plant, to build, to nurture life, and to choose hope. And so our answer is one and the same: to keep planting, building, nurturing life, and choosing hope,” he said.
First Lady Michal Herzog: 'You give all of us hope'
The first lady described the members' return as a source of hope for all of Israel.
“You reflect the entire Israeli story: the greatest pain imaginable, but also the strength of spirit, the love for community, the capacity to keep nurturing life, and the choice to rise, rebuild, and believe again," she said.
"We have walked with you since the earliest days after the tragedy, when you were evacuated to Eilat, and then to Ashalim. We were there when the tree was replanted back home in Kerem Shalom, and that is the spirit that leads you. Every time we meet you, we leave strengthened. You give all of us hope.”
On October 7, the kibbutz's local security squad defended its residents when Hamas terrorists began their attack. According to an IDF probe, the squad managed to repel the attack, killing nine terrorists, though several members of the security team and soldiers were killed in the fighting.