In a keynote address to an Oct. 7 memorial ceremony in Brussels on Thursday, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said that while the release of all 20 living hostages from Gaza brought a glimmer of hope after they endured unimaginable suffering, the trauma and despair will long persist.
The ceremony was organized by the Mission of Israel to the E.U. and NATO and the Israeli embassy to Belgium, together with the Forum of Jewish Organizations in the country, the European Jewish Congress and the Coordination Committee of Jewish Organizations in Belgium.
We have been living through painful moments during the last two years, said Metsola. “I know what it means for everyone in Israel, for the families of the hostages, for Jewish communities and all who have suffered. The last days have been a moment of emotion, joy and relief.”
She recalled her visit to Israel a few days after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, where she met the families of victims and witnessed the horror of the attacks firsthand.
She said she would never forget what she saw, vowing that terror must never be allowed to prevail, and that Europe will continue to stand on the side of humanity, justice and remembrance.
“In the past two years, I have met with a young woman who experienced an unspeakable sexual violence at the hands of terrorists. We have hugged families who watched their homes and communities burning, their children or relatives killed or taken hostage. I planted a tree at the Nova festival site and held hands in ‘Hostage Square’ with those who knew that their loved ones would never return,” she said.
“Many of the 1,191 people killed were in kibbutzim who spent their lives for peace and tolerance. Three hundred seventy-eight young people were slaughtered as they attended a musical festival,” Metsola added.
“Two years later, I can still not properly describe what I saw, the smell of death, the bodies in the sun. It was tough, perhaps the toughest thing I have done as president.”
Among the attendees at the ceremony were Tamar and Patrick Cohen, whose son Ziv Pepe Shapira was among those murdered at the Nova festival. “I want you to know that Europe will not forget what happened to them,” Metsola told them.
She said Europe bears a “moral responsibility” to play a constructive role in the pursuit of peace. “At any step to come, Europe will be there. It is true that Europe sometimes struggles with the need to adapt quickly with agility. ... But we can play a part of ensuring the implementation of the process and supporting an accord that offers perspective, prosperity and peace,” she said.
Surge of antisemitism
The president of the European Parliament also raised the issue of the alarming global rise of antisemitism across Europe, stressing that it must never be allowed to infiltrate into the continent’s societies.
“We all saw the bullying of a 19-year-old Israeli singer at the Eurovision Song Contest quickly escalated to the almost acceptance of Hamas slogans on campuses. We can never allow antisemitism to become part of the political discourse. Europe knows that what begins with antisemitism never ends as that. The shooting in Washington or the stabbings in Manchester are proof enough,” she said.
“Of course Israeli policies are not free from criticism or protest. They should not expect to be. But Israel and Jewish communities should be free from hate, Being Jewish cannot mean being a target. Antisemitism is hatred. Hate and extremism of any kind is anti-European,” Metsola added.
She stressed that “we stand for the complete opposite” and the European Parliament understands “we have a legal, moral and institutional obligation to fight against the tsunami of online disinformation on social media which forces too many Jewish people in Europe and around the world to live in fear.”
The ambassador of Israel to the E.U. and NATO, Avi-Nir Feldklein, and the ambassador of Israel to Belgium and Luxembourg, Idit Rosenzweig-Abu, expressed relief at the liberation of all living Israeli hostages, while stressing the urgent necessity to completely dismantle the ideology of Hamas, ensure full compliance with President Donald Trump’s peace plan and secure the return of all remaining bodies.
Both said that Oct. 7 was defined by devastating loss, national trauma and shattered dreams, and that the senseless killings and the perverse rejoicing over the suffering inflicted on so many have left a deep and lasting scar on the nation.
Cochav Elkayam Levy, founder and chair of the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children, spoke about the deliberate targeting and exploitation of families by the terrorist organization.
She said the massacre revealed a horrifying new pattern of violence—families targeted, parents forced to watch their children die and people burned alive in their homes, warning that silence and denial risk paving the way for future atrocities.
Three members of the European Commission, Hadja Lahbib of Belgium, Olivér Várhelyi of Hungary and Dubravka Šuica of Croatia, also attended the ceremony.
Originally published by the European Jewish Press.
