UN Official: "This will never happen again. I will tell the world Israel's truth."
**SDEROT, Israel **– In a powerful encounter that challenges conventional narratives about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov of Azerbaijan, the UN's newly appointed Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, made a remarkable promise during his recent visit to the Israeli Digital Center in Sderot: "This will never happen again. I will tell the world Israel's truth."
The significance of this moment cannot be overstated. Here was a senior UN official – whose mandate typically focuses on Palestinian humanitarian needs – sitting face-to-face with Gitit Butera, director of the Israel Digital Center and a survivor of Hamas's October 7 massacre, genuinely listening to her harrowing testimony and acknowledging Israel's profound suffering.
The Human Story Behind the Statistics
For too long, international discourse about the October 7 attacks has been reduced to cold statistics: 1,200 Israelis killed, 251 taken hostage, and thousands wounded in what experts describe as "one of the worst terrorist attacks in history."
But behind these numbers lie individual tragedies that have been systematically overlooked by much of the international community. Gitit Butera's story, shared with Dr. Alakbarov at the Israel Digital Center, represents thousands of Israeli experiences that have been marginalized in global discourse.
As detailed in SAPIR Journal, Butera has served as manager of the National Digital Center in Sderot since 2022, helping residents of Gaza border communities navigate digital challenges. On October 7, her world changed forever when Hamas terrorists launched their unprecedented assault on Israeli civilians.
The Struggle for International Recognition
The encounter between Dr. Alakbarov and Ms. Butera highlights a broader challenge facing Israel: the international community's difficulty in acknowledging Israeli civilian suffering alongside Palestinian humanitarian concerns. This imbalance has persisted despite clear documentation of Hamas's systematic targeting of civilians.
Human Rights Watch documented that Hamas's military wing and four other Palestinian armed groups "committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity" on October 7, including deliberate attacks on civilians, hostage-taking, and torture. Yet Israeli survivor testimonies have often been overshadowed in international forums.
Medical data reveals the scope of civilian targeting: a study published in the American Orthopaedic Association found that of 630 hospitalized casualties, 277 were civilians who suffered primarily from gunshot wounds (90%) and explosion-related injuries (19%) – evidence of deliberate targeting rather than collateral damage.
Living Under Constant Threat
The Israel Digital Center in Sderot, where this historic meeting took place, sits just over a mile from the Gaza border – close enough that residents have 15 seconds or less to reach shelter when Hamas fires rockets. This proximity means that Sderot's residents, including those working to bridge digital divides and promote understanding, live under constant threat.
Since 2001, Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist groups have fired over 20,000 rockets and mortars at Israeli civilian communities. The October 7 attack represented an escalation from this pattern of rocket fire to direct infiltration and massacre of civilians in their homes, at a music festival, and in community centers.
The Challenge of Balanced Narratives
Dr. Alakbarov's visit represents a rare moment of international official recognition of Israeli civilian suffering. His promise to "tell the world Israel's truth" acknowledges what many Israelis feel has been missing from international discourse: genuine empathy for Israeli victims and understanding of Israel's security challenges.
This is not to diminish legitimate concerns about Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza. Rather, it recognizes that sustainable peace requires acknowledging suffering on both sides and understanding the complex realities both populations face.
The Broader Context of Israeli Security Challenges
After years of rocket attacks, tunnel infiltrations, and terrorist plots against Israeli civilians living along the Gaza border, Communities like Sderot have endured decades of trauma, with children growing up knowing the sound of rocket alert sirens and families living with reinforced "safe rooms" as standard household features.
Recent government assessments indicate that Gaza border communities are now considered safe for residents to return, following extensive military operations to eliminate immediate threats. However, the psychological trauma remains, as evidenced by the testimonies collected at centers like the one Dr. Alakbarov visited.
Moving Forward
Dr. Alakbarov's commitment to share Israel's truth with the world represents more than diplomatic courtesy – it acknowledges that effective humanitarian work requires understanding all parties' perspectives and experiences. His role as Humanitarian Coordinator for Palestinian territories makes this recognition particularly significant.
The USC Shoah Foundation has been collecting testimonies from October 7 survivors, recognizing the historical importance of preserving these accounts. Similarly, the Israel Digital Center's work in documenting and sharing these experiences serves a crucial function in ensuring that Israeli civilian experiences are not erased from international memory.
The Path to Understanding
The moment captured in Dr. Alakbarov's visit – a senior UN official sitting with an Israeli survivor, listening to her story, and promising to share it with the world – represents the kind of human connection that authentic peace-building requires. It demonstrates that even within the constraints of official mandates and institutional positions, individuals can recognize shared humanity and commit to telling complete stories.
For too long, international discourse has treated Israeli and Palestinian suffering as competing narratives rather than parallel human tragedies requiring different but complementary responses. Dr. Alakbarov's approach suggests that effective humanitarian leadership can acknowledge both without compromising either.
Conclusion: The Power of Witness
As Ms. Butera shared her October 7 experience with Dr. Alakbarov, she was doing more than recounting personal trauma – she was serving as a witness to history, ensuring that Israeli civilian experiences are part of the complete record of this conflict.
Dr. Alakbarov's promise to share Israel's truth represents hope that international understanding can evolve beyond zero-sum narratives toward recognition of complex human realities on all sides. His commitment suggests that even within the challenging dynamics of Middle East diplomacy, there remains space for genuine human connection and authentic witness to suffering.
The Israel Digital Center in Sderot, where this encounter took place, continues its work of bridging divides and promoting understanding – even as its staff and community bear the ongoing trauma of October 7. Their resilience, combined with international recognition like Dr. Alakbarov's visit, offers a foundation for the kind of honest dialogue that sustainable peace requires.