Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the ZAKA headquarters in Jerusalem on Thursday to express appreciation for its efforts during Operation Rising Lion.
Also participating in the meeting were ZAKA CEO Dubi Weissenstern, senior ZAKA officers, commanders, and volunteers.
"I came here to say thank you on behalf of the people of Israel and the State of Israel. We met after the first disaster, and we are meeting after the victory that followed. This is the victory of the spirit of the people, the victory of the eternity of Israel," Netanyahu told the ZAKA members.
He added: "You provide so much resilience in the knowledge that everything possible is being done for life and for those who are no longer with us. This is not a simple matter. First of all, it is not easy for you because looking at death is not simple. It is not simple for the soul. When I was 18, I held a fellow soldier; he died in my arms. It is not a simple thing. To see body parts is not a simple thing. And there is even worse."
The Prime Minister concluded by expressing his "deepest appreciation and that of many of the people for your actions, in calmer times as well, but mainly in times of distress and pain. But this comes from the heart. I would like to thank you on behalf of the State of Israel."