President Isaac Herzog participated today, in the “Partners for Life" conference held by the Ministry of Defense’s Rehabilitation Department.
In his remarks, President Herzog said, “I always compare the nation to the human body, to the human soul—there is something that deeply intertwines our national soul within us, and that is the challenge of bringing the hostages home. There is no challenge more deeply ingrained in the national consciousness than the return of the hostages – every last one of them.”
He continued, “We must never lose sight of this issue, as a nation, until every last hostage is brought home. This is a national effort.”
He stressed, “We must also be attentive to the families of the hostages, who are enduring unimaginable hell. We meet with them, we speak with them, and they, too, have become part of our family. I want to say from here: No one forgets the hostages for even a moment. I hope we will continue to hear more and more good news—this is a tremendous national effort. Every day, I meet with the returning hostages and the families of those still held captive for deeply moving conversations. We must provide solutions for the returning hostages, yet the law does not fully address this issue. I call on the legislature and the government to review and amend the law so that it fully supports the hostages and their families.”
He concluded, “We have a very strong nation. Our people carry layers of pain, challenges, and resilience. This is a unique nation that bears the pains of the Holocaust, the pains of terrorism, the pains of war, the pains of October 7, and yet it moves forward. I want to embrace this wonderful nation and tell it to continue on with hope.”