German president visits Kibbutz Be’eri with Herzog

The emotionally charged visit to the hard-hit agricultural kibbutz near the Gaza border coincided with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel.

By JNS

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday visited Kibbutz Be’eri alongside Israeli President Isaac Herzog, marking their second joint visit to the southern Israeli community since the outbreak of the war with Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

The emotionally charged visit to the hard-hit agricultural kibbutz near the Gaza border came as fighting in the Strip continues, and coincided with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel.

“Almost a year and a half ago, my wife and I stood here in Kibbutz Be’eri. What we saw then will never leave our memory: houses that were nothing but ruins, burnt trees, everyday objects and toys scattered around—the horror, the suffering,” Steinmeier said during the visit. “It went right through us, but we also felt something else—the will not to give up. The will to rebuild.”

He also addressed the ongoing war, noting that nearly 600 days after the Oct. 7 attacks, Hamas is still holding hostages in the Gaza Strip.

“585 days after the massacre, there are still hostages in the hands of Hamas, including German companions,” said Steinmeier. “Germany will not forget them, and I will not forget them. Our voice will not remain silent, as long as they have not returned.”

More than 100 civilians—nearly 10 percent of Kibbutz Be’eri’s 1,100 residents—were killed in the Hamas-led massacre, while another 30 were abducted to Gaza.

For his part, Herzog expressed hope for a better future in the region despite the devastation. “I truly hope and believe that after the horrible period that we have gone through and are going through, we shall see also peace in this region with our neighbors,” he said.

The visit concluded with the symbolic planting of a tree by the two presidents, representing renewal for the community.

Earlier Tuesday, Herzog had awarded Steinmeier the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor during a ceremony in Jerusalem, following Herzog’s reciprocal state visit to Berlin.

While in Israel, Steinmeier also held a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.