Southern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asur spoke at a ceremony marking the events of October 7 in the Eshkol Regional Council. Asur said that "the disaster was unbearable. You, the residents, fought with courage and bravery. We could not look you in the eyes. The disappointment in us was great. We failed in our mission - to defend the state, to protect the home. The trust you placed in us was broken. And from these fragments we rose." He added: "I wish to use this sacred platform to send an unequivocal warning to Hamas: any attempt to attack IDF soldiers or the residents of the Negev will be met with a sharp and powerful response from us."