On the first night, the delegation heard briefings from the former head of the IDF intelligence division's research department Yossi Kuperwasser, from the former head of the Sha'ar HaNegev regional council MK Alon Schuster, and from Daniel Sa'ada, former senior diplomat at the Israeli embassy in France. The senior journalists are expected to collect testimonies and information from the events in Israel and deliver them to the public in France.
The delegation visited southern Israeli cities, including Ofakim, Sderot and Ashdod. The foreign correspondents heard from a ZAKA worker (responsible for identifying disaster victims) about the horrifying scenes that he saw along with his colleagues when handling dead bodies at the Gaza Envelope towns. In addition, the journalists heard a testimony from a mother whose daughter was murdered on the Sabbath attack, and visited wounded soldiers in the Tel Hashomer hospital, hearing about their heroic fighting against the terrorists.
The delegation is expected to meet residents evacuated from the Gaza Envelope towns, as well as the Knesset Speaker. They will also meet with members of the headquarters responsible for returning those kidnapped and missing, and members of the families. The journalists will hear from professionals about the difficult process of identifying bodies under extreme conditions, after bodies have been mutilated by the terrorists on October 7th.
KKL-JNF Deputy General Manager Yuval Yeini welcomed the members of the delegation: "From the very beginning, KKL-JNF came to the aid of the residents of the Gaza Envelope, taking care of their evacuation and temporary housing in safe locations, as well as providing emergency assistance to the local councils in the south so that they can focus on their important tasks and helping in purchasing ambulances for immediate assistance for the injured. We will continue to help rebuilding the towns that got hurt, in order for them to provide better lives for the residents. For this purpose, we work to collect donations from all over the world, for the benefit of the residents. I thank KKL-France for arranging such an important and significant delegation to Israel during the war. There is no better evidence than seeing what happened, and we ask that the delegation will show the world what happened in Israel. The Israeli people are united behind the IDF in its mission. On behalf of KKL-JNF, we share the grief of the families of the victims, wish a quick recovery for the wounded, and hope that the kidnapped will be returned home soon."
Robert Zvili, President of KKL-France: "This is not a voyage of solidarity but a voyage of unity with the people of Israel. What happened on October 7th was not a typical act of terrorism but an attack on the Jewish people as a whole, on its land, and on all of us. The impact of the first days may fade and we hope that the delegation of journalists and media personalities we brought will allow them to report what happened here, to realize that Jews are murdered in their on homes in Israel, and that the terrorists target the fate of the Jews throughout the world, as well as the whole western world."
KKL-JNF Chief delegate to France Daniel Ben Lulu: "In these hard times for the people of Israel, a time of mourning and grief but also hope for a better future, the world should see and hear of the terrible murders of the Gaza Envelope residents. The French delegation that came through the initiative of KKL-France has visited southern Israel and got a close look at what the residents saw during October 7th. Journalists and prominent figures take part in the delegations and we are proud of the assistance that KKL-JNF provides to the national effort, in both speaking for Israel and volunteering for civilian missions."