President Isaac Herzog delivered a powerful address Monday evening at the Sderot Conference on Society and Education in Be’er Sheva, marking the eve of the 600th day of the war, calling on Israel’s leadership to rise to the historic moment and urging unity amid ongoing national and military challenges.
“On that accursed day — the result of a terrible blindness, one of the greatest failures we have ever known — murderous, inhuman terrorists, human monsters, armed to their teeth, invaded our homes, our towns, our communities, rampaged and slaughtered us,” Herzog began, in a stark reference to the massacre that launched the current war.
Herzog emphasized the central mission of securing the return of the hostages held by Hamas, stating unequivocally, “The only rightful expectation of the people of Israel is from the State of Israel and its leadership — to act with full force and take every necessary step to bring the hostages home.”
Calling it “a critical moment in our history as a people,” Herzog urged Israel’s leaders to act with resolve and initiative, declaring, “This is the moment to initiate, to dare, to take step after step, to act in every possible way to bring them home, every last one of them.”
The President also addressed the conduct of the IDF in the war, asserting the moral integrity of Israel’s soldiers and holding Hamas responsible for the suffering of civilians in Gaza. “We know very well the tremendous efforts our soldiers and their commanders make to prevent harm to innocent civilians,” he said. “And we know the full responsibility Hamas bears for every such death.”
Nonetheless, Herzog acknowledged the humanitarian cost, saying, “Our human, Israeli, and Jewish values stir in us sorrow — genuine sorrow — for every innocent person who suffers and is harmed.”
In a pointed call for accountability, Herzog reiterated his demand for a state commission of inquiry into the failures of October 7, stating that he had made several proposals aimed at creating a broad consensus to establish such a body. “I repeat my call for a thorough and comprehensive investigation,” he said. “I call on all involved to sit down together, resolve the crisis, and launch the investigation.”
Turning to the internal climate in Israel, Herzog condemned growing division and incitement. “The people of Israel have simply had enough,” he declared. “Fed up with the rotten culture of endless internal struggles… with those who spend their days trampling over one another.”
He firmly rejected all calls to disobey court rulings or undermine the rule of law, warning that such rhetoric posed a grave danger to the nation’s democratic fabric. “The very idea, the very statements calling for breaking the law and disobeying court rulings, are a disaster for Israeli democracy and Israeli sovereignty.”
Addressing rising tensions between the public and the military, Herzog issued a stern rebuke: “Slinging mud at the IDF and its commanders is no path to a solution… calls for refusal, for rebellion, or for breaking the law — even if they come from deep pain… are, under no circumstances, the way to a solution.”