News Digest — 10/7/26
President Herzog Opens October 7 Memorial Events With Candle Lighting At 6:29 a.m.
President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, opened the commemorations marking the October 7, 2023, massacre on Wednesday morning (7th), at exactly 6:29 a.m., by lighting a memorial candle at the President’s Residence.
The lighting of the candle symbolizes the shared national grief and pain of the State of Israel and its citizens. It is dedicated to the memory of the men and women, infants, children,elderly persons, civilians, and male and female soldiers who were murdered or fell in the October 7 terrorist attack and the Swords of Iron War.
Alongside the remembrance of those murdered and fallen, the ceremony is also dedicated to embracing the bereaved families, honoring those wounded physically and emotionally who continue to bear the scars of October 7 and the war, and strengthening the returned hostages and their families as they continue their journey of rehabilitation and recovery.
Southern Command Chief Issues Warning To Hamas
Southern Command Chief MG Yaniv Asor issued a warning to Hamas on Tuesday evening (6th), making clear that any attempt to harm IDF soldiers or residents of the Negev would be met with a powerful response.
Speaking at a ceremony in the Eshkol Regional Council marking the events of October 7, Asor addressed the military failure on the day of the massacre and the resulting breakdown in public trust.
“Three years have passed since that terrible morning, since our failure as an army,” he said. “On October 7, we failed in our mission to defend the country, to protect our home. The trust you placed in us was shattered. And from those shattered pieces, we rose as one people in pain, but determined.”
Asor addressed residents of the area and praised their actions on the day of the massacre and in the years since.
“You, the residents of this region, fought with courage and heroism to save lives, to protect your families and your homes. You, my brothers and sisters who made the desert bloom, were a source of strength and hope, of planting and growth.”
He went on to make clear that, in his view, the Gaza campaign is not yet over.
“The work is not finished; the journey of revival is not complete. We are determined not to rest until we break Hamas’ strength and spirit.
He concluded with a direct 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.
‘It Can Never Be Erased:’ Israel Marks October 7 Anniversary At The UN
Israel’s Mission to the United Nations held an event at UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday (6th) to mark three years since the October 7 massacre. Hundreds of participants, ambassadors, and senior diplomats from numerous countries attended, including the United States, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Tanzania and others.
The story of Eliya Cohen and Ziv Abud was at the center of the event. The two arrived together at the music festival and sought safety in a bomb shelter in Re’im, which became the scene of a massacre. Eliya was abducted to Gaza and held captive by Hamas for 505 days, while Ziv survived the massacre and worked throughout his captivity to secure his release. Only after he returned from captivity did Eliya learn that Ziv had survived.
During the event, Dr. Phil held a special conversation with the two about their story, their struggles, and their journey toward recovery.
Speeches were delivered by Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, and US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz. Staff Sergeant (Res.) Oriya Berlin shared his personal account of serving as an IDF lookout at the Re’im base on October7.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, stated, “Three years later, we stand at the heart of the United Nations to deliver a simple message: October 7 can never be erased, rewritten, or forgotten. The pain remains with us, but it has not broken us. Eliya and Ziv are living proof of the resilience of the people of Israel: even from the depths of hell, we rise, we recover, and we choose life. We will continue to build, thrive and fight for our future. Am Yisrael Chai.”
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz said: “October 7 can never, ever happen again, and it will not ever happen again, and certainly not under this President’s watch, October 7 completely, and I think irreversibly, has backfired on Iran and all of the other terrorist proxies. Meanwhile, the Abraham Accords are actually expanding today. Right now, as we speak, Iron Dome technology is protecting cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Before, that just was completely unthinkable – the terrorists are on their back foot. America will always stand with the Jewish people.”
The 1929 Massacre That Explains The Middle East Today – Yardena Schwartz
On August 24, 1929, more than 3,000 Muslim men armed with swords, axes, and machetes marched through the ancient Jewish quarter of Hebron, then part of British Mandate Palestine. They slaughtered 67 Jewish men, women, and children, and wounded dozens more. Children watched as their parents were butchered by their neighbors. Infants were murdered in their mother’s arms. Young women were raped. Those who survived had fingers and limbs severed and eyes gouged out. The massacre bore striking similarities to Oct. 7. Many victims of the Hebron massacre knew their assailants by name. The rioters had been their friends, neighbors, coworkers and landlords. Most of Hebron’s Jews were natives of the land and spoke Hebrew and Arabic. This was the world’s oldest Jewish community, dating back to the days of Abraham and Sarah, who are believed to be buried in Hebron’s Cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
What led thousands of Muslims in Hebron to turn on their Jewish neighbors was a campaign of disinformation initiated by the first leader of the Palestinian people: the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin Al-Husseini. He claimed that the Jews of Palestine were conspiring to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque. Hamas named the Oct. 7 attack “The Al-Aqsa Flood.”
The writer is the author of Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine that ignited the Arab-Israeli Conflict. (New York Post)
Israel’s Top Forensic Pathologist Reveals Oct. 7 Evidence – Ariela Ayalon
Prof. Chen Kugel, director of the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv, shows us hundreds of photographs from the autopsy rooms after Oct. 7. “Here we see the body of a person who was burned. We know he was burned alive. When we open his airway, we can see soot inside. That means he inhaled smoke while he was being burned.”
A week after the deadliest attack in Israel’s history began, large numbers of bodies started arriving at the center. “We received about 3,000 bags, most of which contained body parts and burned bones… Ultimately, we handled more than 900 bodies at the institute.” The identification work continued from morning until night, including on weekends. The goal was to remove the uncertainty for the families and allow them to bring their loved ones to burial.
“We were dealing with thousands of bodies, body parts and objects. There were also people whose faces had been deliberately mutilated, or whose remains had been obliterated and virtually erased, or whose bodies had been gnawed by animals. We also saw bodies of people who had been abused before they were murdered, and sometimes afterwards as well. In one place, people were tied up and shot all over. We saw decapitated bodies, including the heads of children.”
Kugel told us: “We saw things that were unprecedented. Evil incarnate. You can’t call it cruelty, because that word does not adequately describe the situation… Children who were shot and decapitated as well, like a girl about 12 who was shot in the head and then decapitated.” We were shown the body of a girl about five years old who had been shot throughout the body, from the skull to the soles of her feet.
“The whole world knows what happened, and yet they compare what happened here with what happened in Gaza, as though it were the same suffering… No Israeli burned bodies.”
Months after the main work of identifying the victims was completed, Kugel was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. (Ynet News)
Aliyah Minister Urges Israel To Prepare For Wave Of French Immigrants
Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer said during Tuesday’s (6th) cabinet meeting that Israel should prepare a plan to absorb a potential mass wave of immigration by French Jews amid unrest that has erupted across France in recent days, according to two sources who attended the meeting.
“We need to remove the barriers in order to allow them to come,” Sofer said, adding that the plan should also be designed to assist less affluent members of France’s Jewish community.
France experienced what was described as a “day of rage” on Tuesday (6th), which was expected to mark the peak of clashes that have unfolded across the country in recent days. Confrontations between protesters and police were reported in several parts of France.
The student protests began last week, when students at hundreds of schools, particularly in poorer working-class suburbs such as Saint-Denis outside Paris, began blocking school entrances, obstructing roads, setting garbage bins on fire, and attacking police officers and passersby.
Critics of the protests have accused the far-left La France Insoumise party, led by Jean=Luc Melenchon, a staunchly anti-Israel politician, of inciting violence and fueling the unrest. They have also pointed to the involvement of immigrants and the children of immigrants in the street violence.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said during the cabinet meeting that funding should be allocated to help economically vulnerable immigrants, as well as various housing projects intended to accommodate an expected wave of immigration.
This year has already seen a record number of immigrants from France, with nearly 4,000 French Jews making aliyah, 40% more than the number who immigrated to Israel last year.
“We need to do this,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the ministers.
Netanyahu asked Smotrich, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, and Sofer to prepare a joint plan.
During the cabinet meeting, National Missions Minister Orit Strock said Israel should also prepare for the possibility that protesters could begin targeting Jews.
“The people behind these protests are anti-Jewish and anti-Israel elements. Jews are currently afraid to walk around France displaying Jewish symbols. The prime minister must act now vis-a-vis France and prepare an emergency plan to protect those Jews,” Strock said.
Royal Visit To Bimyamin: King Of The Warri Kingdom of Nigeria Visits The Land Of The Bible
An extraordinary royal visit took place in Binyamin on Tuesday (6th) as His majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, King of the Warri Kingdom of Nigeria arrived in the region as part of efforts to strengthen international ties with influential leaders across Africa.
Israel Ganz, Governor of the Binyamin Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, hosted the Nigerian king and his delegation at Pasgot Winery. The delegation then continued to Ancient Shiloh.
King Ogiame Atuwatse III is the 21st Olu of Warri and King of the Warri Kingdom in Delta State, Nigeria. The kingdom has a history spanning more than 500 years and is home to the Itsekiri people.
Located in the heart of the Niger Delta, the Warri Kingdom is a major center of oil and gas activity. Alongside his royal role, King Atuwatse has extensive experience in the energy sector and leads companies involved in infrastructure and maritime services. He also works to promote investment and economic development and maintains international ties aimed at strengthening his kingdom’s position on the global stage.
The visit to Binyamin was held as a gesture of friendship and as part of ongoing efforts to expand international partnerships and build relationships with influential leaders across Africa The visit also provided an opportunity to deepen the king’s familiarity with Binyamin and explore potential areas of future cooperation and engagement.
KIng Atuwatse arrived in Israel as part of a large International Christian delegation. His visit to Binyamin is part of a broader effort led by Ganz to expand the circle of friends of the communities of Judea and Samaria and establish relationships with leaders and public figures from around the world, including Africa.
During the visit, Ganz presented the king and members of his delegation with the significance of the Binyamin region, the Jewish people’s historic connection to the area, and the region’s remarkable growth and development.
The Binyamin Regional Council is also advancing plans for a power station in the future Rantis Industrial Zone, with the goal of making Binyamin one of Israel’s key energy hubs. The initiative is part of the region’s continued economic growth and the development of infrastructure projects of national importance.
Following the winery visit, the king and his delegation traveled to Ancient Shiloh. At Shiloh there was a guide who presented the history of the site where the tabernacle stood for centuries, the archaeological discoveries there and Shiloh’s central place in the biblical story of the Jewish people.
Ganz was pleased to host the Nigerian king and introduce him to the developing Binyamin region.
“The Land of the Bible draws leaders from around the world,” Ganz said. “Those who come here, meet our residents, and visit Ancient Shiloh and see firsthand the depth of the Jewish people’s connection to their land.”
“We are building partnerships and opening Binyamin to the world. We will continue expanding our circle of friends and translating these relationships into partnership and support for Israel and for the Communities of Judea and Samaria.”
