Senior NATO Officer: "I will Operate Worldwide to Free the Captives"

Szczerba further added, "I want to express our full solidarity with Israel. I will report to the parliamentary assembly of NATO, which consists of 31 parliamentarians, what I have seen here with my own eyes. A kibbutz, in my opinion, is a paradise on earth. People living together, sharing the same values like one family. I was saddened to hear that even the leader of this community, Ofir Libstein, was killed. We must fight terrorism with all the means at our disposal."

Ohana thanked his guest and said, "We need all the international assistance to bring back our kidnapped citizens from the kibbutzim and from the party who are being held in Gaza. Among them are babies, elderly, and Holocaust survivors. We need international pressure to return them to their families."

"We also need your support now, while we are fighting, and not only when we are being attacked," added Ohana. "This is not just Israel's private struggle with Hamas. This is a fight of the forces of light against the forces of darkness. Of the free world against the fundamentalist forces of Islam that we witnessed committing atrocities here a month ago."

During the tour, they spoke with Shimon Elkabetz and his family, whose daughter Sivan, may she rest in peace, was murdered in Kfar Aza by the perpetrators of the atrocity. Also present in the meeting was Avi Chasidim, the father of Naor Chasidim, may he rest in peace, who was Sivan's partner and was murdered alongside her. The two leaders also met with Shahar and Eyelet, long-time residents of Kfar Aza, who hid and survived the massacre but decided to return to their home. Shahar, aged 62, said, "We need to return and rebuild the kibbutz. Even the birds have returned to fly here today."

The President and the Secretary-General also met with the Chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, MK Yuli Edelstein, and they are expected to meet with the head of the Knesset's Parliamentary Friendship Group with Poland, MK Amit Halevi.