Dozens of UN ambassadors join delegation from Auschwitz to Israel’s Nova massacre site
Dozens of UN ambassadors arrived on Sunday at Israel’s Gaza border communities to witness firsthand the atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023. The delegation, aimed to bring them outside the “diplomatic comfort zone,” began last week with a Holocaust-centered tour in Poland.
More than 20 representatives from Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Africa visited the memorial site for the Nova Music Festival, the Nahal Oz military base, and Kibbutz Kfar Gaza yesterday. Led by Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, this is the largest delegation of its kind. “Whoever hears these testimonies and looks the victims’ families in the eyes cannot return to the diplomatic comfort zone,” Danon said on 𝕏.
Reactions from some of the UN ambassadors, reported by Ynet, revealed the profound impact of confronting the sites up close.
Marcelo Riccardi, Paraguay’s UN ambassador, said, “Nothing that we have read gave us the exact idea about what happened here. We came here to mourn with you and to say we are with your people. We are with the people of Israel.”
Romania’s UN ambassador, Cornel Feruță, called the visit "overwhelming" and reflected on his role: “I think it is in our responsibility to make sure that such atrocities are purely rejected. It's completely inhuman.”
Referring to those whose lives were taken at the Nova site, Zambia’s UN ambassador Chola Milambo offered condolences, saying, “I think we need to ensure that we never forget them and celebrate their lives,” and adding, “the people of Zambia are with you and really share in your pain.”
At the Kerem Shalom Crossing, ambassadors observed the inflow of humanitarian aid entering Gaza under Israel’s coordination, a point of frequent criticism in UN discussions.
“One tour of the Gaza Envelope is worth more than a thousand discussions at the UN,” Danon said. “Today, the ambassadors stood at the crossing and witnessed the aid trucks that enter the Gaza Strip every day,” he added, emphasizing that international efforts must focus on removing Hamas.
Together with UN ambassadors, we visited the Kerem Shalom crossing today. For months, Israel has been accused of preventing in the inflow of humanitarian aid.
— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) February 22, 2026
Today, the ambassadors stood at the crossing, and witnessed the aid trucks that enter the Gaza Strip every day.
I made… pic.twitter.com/RFmeB6f2pc
Before heading to the Gaza border, the delegation visited Jerusalem’s Old City and the City of David. Their tour included a walk along the historic pilgrimage route and other Jewish heritage sites, culminating at the Western Wall ahead of Shabbat.
The mission began last Wednesday in Poland, where the UN ambassadors toured the remnants of Kraków’s Jewish Quarter and the former Ghetto. Their itinerary included the historic pharmacy of Tadeusz Pankiewicz and Oskar Schindler’s factory, sites that stand as testaments to both the depths of cruelty and the heights of human courage.
From the grounds of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, in a video posted on 𝕏, Danon can be heard discussing a stark parallel between the Nazi atrocities and the Iranian regime’s calls for the destruction of Israel. “Here, we understand exactly where hatred leads when the world is silent,” he wrote.
In a post accompanying a photograph of the delegation at Schindler’s factory, Danon asserted that the presence of the UN ambassadors serves as a clear reminder that “we will never allow the world to forget what took place here, and that the Jewish people stand strong.”
This marks the latest in a series of delegations led by Israel’s Permanent Mission to the UN, including as recently as last year, as part of diplomatic outreach to UN counterparts.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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