JNS
"On behalf of the State of Israel, I bow my head and ask for forgiveness," wrote Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday mourned the return of the bodies of four Israelis from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip.
"Agony. Pain. There are no words. Our hearts—the hearts of an entire nation—lie in tatters," Herzog posted to X.
"On behalf of the State of Israel, I bow my head and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness for not protecting you on that terrible day. Forgiveness for not bringing you home safely. May their memory be a blessing," he wrote.
Israel redeemed on Thursday the bodies of four hostages abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz: the three members of the Bibas family—mother Shiri, infant son Kfir and his brother Ariel, and octogenarian Oded Lifshitz.
Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote in a statement, "The heart of the entire nation mourns today. Hamas kidnapped, Hamas murdered, Hamas will be destroyed." He added, "We will take revenge on our enemies and secure our future."
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the day as "difficult" in an X post, expressing the collective sorrow of Israel, highlighting the cruelty of its enemies and reaffirming the righteousness of their war against Hamas.
"We wake up to a difficult morning for all of us. A morning that sharpens the cruelty of our enemies and the righteousness of our determined war against them until their destruction from the face of the earth," Smotrich wrote.
"The entire people of Israel embrace the families and the heroic Nir Oz community, sharing in their deep sorrow," he continued. "Let our spirits not fall. God and we will avenge their blood and restore the stature of the people of Israel and the State of Israel."
Amichai Chikli, the minister of Diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism, condemned the Hamas ceremony in Gaza, where the four murdered Israeli hostages were paraded before a cheering crowd.
Chikli described this act as a display of "pure evil," criticizing the West's failure to speak out.
"A society that cultivates a culture of murder and death has no right to exist. A society that tolerates Hamas sympathizers within it dooms its own elderly, its own mothers and children, to the same fate," Chikli wrote. "Evil thrives in the shadow of cowardice. History will not forgive those who turned away."
Also commenting on the Hamas propaganda ceremony, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar charged that the "systematic poisoning of the younger generation in Palestinian society (in Gaza, as well as in Judea and Samaria) eliminates any chance of peace.
"The entire Palestinian society must undergo a deep process of de-radicalization and break away from the poison of incitement and the ethos of terrorism," Sa'ar stated on X. "The Palestinian terror armies must be eradicated and defeated. Gaza must be completely disarmed.
"Every person in Israel or around the world who wants a better future for our region must support these principles," Sa'ar said.
Otzma Yehudit Party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir expressed outrage following the return of the four caskets.
"Remember these moments. The sorrow over the spilling of innocent blood. The triumphant laughter of the predators. The thirst for blood. The clear knowledge that these Nazis must not continue to live. Our historic duty to our children, not to give up," Ben-Gvir wrote in an X post.
He continued: "Nazis don't deserve humanitarian aid. No fuel. No electricity. No caravans. No bulldozers. No ceasefire, and no withdrawal. Only the gates of Hell!"
