Elhanan Danino, father of Ori who was murdered in captivity and whose body was recovered by Israel, recited the Kaddish prayer for the deceased together with members of the Knesset delegation to Paraguay and in the presence of the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay, Raúl Latorre.
Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana introduced his host to the members of the delegation, including Mr. Elhanan Danino, whose son Ori was kidnapped by Hamas and murdered after 11 months in captivity, and Avi Hasidim, father of Naor who was murdered in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7. Also in the Knesset delegation were MK Boaz Bismuth from the coalition and Deputy Speaker of the Knesset MK Yevgeny Soba from the opposition.
After reciting the Kaddish, Elhanan Danino explained to the audience the words of the Kaddish and emphasized: "With these words we deeply thank God for the pain and for the loss just as we thank Him for the good. We pray to Him every day to make the world a better place for us, the Jewish people, and for all the good people in the world."
Later, in a speech by Speaker Ohana in the Congress of Paraguay, he said that "true friendship is not dependent on convenience – and the relationship between Paraguay and Israel has flourished despite crises. Hard times have brought us closer.'
"Since the outbreak of the war, Paraguay has bravely defended Israel on the international stage and opposed morally corrupt moves that empower terrorists while falsely accusing Israel. The Jewish people and the State of Israel will never forget those who stood by us when others did not."
Speaker of the Knesset emphasized in his remarks that "Ori is not just Elhanan's son. He is the son and brother of all of us. These are our children. The world must press Hamas so that we can bring them home."
Speaker Ohana also showed the members of Congress, from the podium, pictures of Sivan Elkabetz and Naor Hasidim who were murdered in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7. Speaker Ohana told the tragic and sad story of the couple from that Shabbat and even introduced Naor's father, Avi Hasidim, who also received applause from the members of Parliament.
Speaker Ohana also referred to the security situation in his speech and said: "At this moment, while we are here, tens of thousands of Israeli citizens are displaced from their homes in the north of the country. For almost a year, the terrorist organization Hezbollah – which receives orders from its operators in Iran – has been shooting at innocent civilians and destroying their homes. No citizen in Asunción, Paris, or New York would tolerate such a reality – neither will we. We have gone above and beyond in efforts to seek a non-military solution. We have reached the point where we have to say – enough is enough."
To Latorre, he said: "Mr. President, when you return to your country with your delegation, convey a message from us to the parents of the victims and the abductees – you are not alone. We support you. Even if we are the only ones to support you, we will support you and stand by our brothers – Israel."
At the end of Speaker Ohana's speech, Latorre awarded him with the "Congressional Medal" – the highest award given by the House of Representatives - in a special ceremony.