The ceremony, organized at the initiative of KKL-JNF, was held in the Re’im Park, where trees were planted a year ago with the bereaved families who lost their loved ones at the Nova festival.

The families of the kidnapped included the families of Eden Yerushalmi, Amit Buskila, Shirel Sara Golan, Itzik Gelernter, Hanan Yablonka, Alex Lobanov, and Hirsch Goldberg Polin.

Eden Yerushalmi was among the young people kidnapped from the Nova festival during the terrorist attack on October 7. She was held in the tunnels for 11 months until she was murdered in captivity in early September.

The ceremony was led by KKL-JNF Chairwoman Yifat Ovadia Luski, who said: “The kidnapped people who were murdered in captivity are a painful reminder of Hamas’ unimaginable cruelty. Today’s planting ceremony is a vivid and tangible expression of the memory that remains in our hearts, and we promise to preserve their legacy and give it strong roots in the form of the trees that will grow here.”

During the ceremony, the families planted a tree and participated in placing a plaque in their memory next to the tree. The ceremony ended with the Yizkor prayer of remembrance and a promise to continue to perpetuate the memory of the murdered.