On October 7, 2023, the people of Israel woke up to a nightmare that has left deep and lasting scars. Hamas, the terrorist organization that governs Gaza, launched an unprovoked, brutal assault on southern Israelâ€"murdering over 1,200 innocent civilians, including babies, the elderly, and entire families. Women were raped. Children were burned alive. Over 250 people were taken hostage into Gaza, many of whom remain in captivity today. It was the single deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
This October 7th, 2025, marks two years since that day of terror. As we commemorate the lives lost, the pain endured, and the resilience shown by survivors, we in Israel also find deep resonance in the shared history and spirit of the Rwandan people.
Rwanda, too, knows what it means to face unimaginable cruelty. The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi left over a million people dead in just 100 daysâ€"killed not because of what they did, but because of who they were. As I have witnessed here in Rwanda, the journey from horror to healing is long, difficult, and deeply human. It requires courage, truth, justice, and above all, remembrance.
The images from Kibbutz Be'eri, Kfar Aza and other communities attacked on October 7, bear strange and heartbreaking testimonies. Through these acts of barbarism, the perpetrators sought not only to kill, but to eraseâ€"communities, families, cultures, and hope.
And yet, our peoples have refused to be defined by our wounds. Instead, we are defined by our resilience, our belief in life, and our determination to build societies based on dignity and peace.
It is no accident that Rwanda and Israel share a close and growing friendship. We are nations that have emerged from trauma not to seek vengeance, but to ensure such horrors never happen again. We believe in the responsibility to rememberâ€"and the responsibility to act.
Today, as Israel continues to fight a war not of its choosing, we remain committed to the basic principles that should guide us all: the right of every nation to defend its people, the value of every innocent life, and the pursuit of justice.
To our friends in Rwanda and the region, your solidarity in these difficult times is deeply felt and deeply appreciated. History reminds us that evil can be overcome, and that healing is possibleâ€" even after the darkest chapters.
As we mark two years since October 7, let us recommit to a world where terrorism is condemned, not excused; where victims are mourned, not forgotten; where memory becomes a bridge to peaceâ€"not a barrier, and where Never Again is not just a phraseâ€"but a promise.
Amb. Einat Weiss
