A delegation of senior prosecutors from Portugal and other countries whose citizens were among those murdered or taken hostage in the October 7 atrocities perpetrated by Hamas will arrive in Israel on Monday Jan 22 to gain a firsthand understanding of the brutal terror assault.

The heads of the prosecution service from Portugal, Germany, the US, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Estonia — as well as representatives from the Japanese, Australian and Danish embassies — will meet with relatives of those killed and taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 and will visit towns and communities in the Gaza border region where the terror group carried out its deadly attack.

They prosecutors will meet with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, State Attorney Amit Eisman and will receive briefings on the crimes committed by Hamas from senior officials in the defense establishment as well as the Foreign Ministry and the Israel Police.

The Jewish community of Porto welcomed the initiative and asked the Portuguese General Prosecutor to pay respects to 28 victims of Portuguese origin "who after all were not 'fake Sephardim'", despite the organized propaganda campaign that a criminal group carried out for two years, in violation of article 240 of the Penal Code, even swearing that the rabbi of Porto didn't even know what a Sephardic was."

According to the records of the Jewish Community of Porto, there are 17 dead, 4 hostages to be released, 6 already released and one seriously injured.

Portuguese Murdered (11):

1. Yossi Sharabi (53 years old).

Son of a Moroccan father, surnamed Turgeman, and a Moroccan mother, surnamed Sharabi. Members of the Turgeman family returned to Portugal, from Morocco and Gibraltar, in the 19th and 20th centuries, and are buried in Lisbon's Jewish cemetery."

2. Gilad Ben Yehuda (28 years old).

Son of Sochi Gali Gavriel Eskenazi from a traditional Turkish Sephardic family, who for centuries preserved the use of the Ladino language. There are records of this family in the Portuguese synagogues of Edirne and Adrianople ("Kahal Kadosh" Portugal and "Kahal Kadosh" Évora), as well as in the Jewish institutions of Smyrna (the "Kahal Kadosh Portugal") and the institution "Endow the Orphans".

3. Liraz Assulin Shitrit (38 years old).

She was the daughter of Meir Assulin and Rikva Shitrit, from traditional Sephardic families in Morocco. Records of this family extend to North African communities, including in the Portugal plot in the Jewish cemetery of Rabat, in Tangier.

4. Gila Peled Cohen (58 years old).

From a traditional Sephardic family in Tunis. There are records of this family in the lists of ketubot (marriage contracts) from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, of the Portuguese Sephardic community of Tunis.

5. Daniel Peled (28 years old), son of Gila Cohen.

6. Nevo Arad (25 years old).

Son of Ronen Arad Edry from a traditional Moroccan Sephardic family. There are records of this family in numerous local communities, as well as in the Portugal plot of the Jewish cemetery of Rabat, in Tangier.

7. Dorin Atias (22 years old).

Family surnames present in Jewish communities of Portuguese origin in Izmir, Thessaloniki, Bulgaria, Livorno and others. In the form Athias, the surname is common among the Jews who, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, coming from Gibraltar and Morocco, returned to Portugal, and were buried in the British cemetery of Estrela and in the Jewish cemeteries of Lisbon and Faro.

8. Rotem Neumann Kadosh (25 years old).

He is a descendant of Sephardic Jews of Portuguese origin, through his father and mother, from traditional Sephardic families in the Mediterranean and the Balkans.

9. Orin Bira (53 years old).

Son of Simcha Kasorlla from a traditional Sephardic family in the Balkans, in the former Yugoslavia, surnamed Paredes/Pardess, with a habitual use of Ladino including words from the Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, Greek and Hebrew languages.

10. Tair Bira (21 years old), Orin's daughter.

Also murdered, with links to Portugal (6):

11. Ravid Arie Katz (51 years old).

[Body was not found but allegedly died.] In the process of obtaining nationality. Descendant of Sephardic Jews from the former Ottoman Empire. The name Arie also appears in the lists of names of Jews who belonged to the Portuguese synagogue of the Jewish community of the city of Izmir in Turkey, the "Kahal Kadosh Portugal", in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and to the institution of "Dowling" the orphans of the Portuguese congregation of Smyrna, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

12. Niv Raviv (27 years old).

From a traditional Moroccan Sephardic family, like others described in this communication.

13. Said Moshe (75 years old), husband of Adina Moshe, a Portuguese woman from a traditional family of the Sephardic community in Turkey.

14. Tal Bira, brother of Orin Bira.

15. Jazmin Bira, wife of Orin Bira.

16. Tahel Bira, minor daughter of Orin Bira.

17. Hana Or, wife of Dror Or, from an Argentine family from the former Ottoman Empire.

Portuguese hostages (4):

18. Offer Kalderon (52 years old).

Son of David Kalderon, from a traditional Sephardic family of the former Ottoman Empire, particularly Greece. There are records of this family in the synagogues and Portuguese institutions that existed in Thessaloniki: the "Kahal Kadosh Portugal", the "Kahal Kadosh Lisbon", the "Kahal Kadosh Évora", the "Portugal Velha" and others.

19. Idan Shtivi (28 years old).

Son of Dali Oron (Naftali Benveniste) of Bulgarian family origin. Family names present in the ancient communities of Bulgaria, Thessaloniki ("Kahal Kadosh Portugal", "Kahal Kadosh Lisbon", "Kahal Kadosh Évora"), İzmir ("Kahal Kadosh Portugal" and institution "Endow the Orphans"), Morocco, Tunisia, Hamburg, Livorno, and others.

20. Moshe Saadyan (26 years old).

Son of Vered Moshe (Zubi), from a traditional Sephardic family of the former Ottoman Empire, specifically in Turkey and the former Palestine, married with the Moroccan Sephardic family surnamed Bouskila.

21. Dror Or (48 years old).

Son of Youval Ermoza of an Argentine family from the former Ottoman Empire. The Ermoza Sephardic family and its Ladino inspired the famous Netflix series "Beauty Queen of Jerusalem".

Portuguese hostages released (1):

22. Adina Moshe (Galante) (72 years old). From a family of the traditional Sephardic community of the former Ottoman Empire, mainly Turkey. There are records of this family in the synagogues and Portuguese institutions that existed in Smyrne, Edirne, and others, such as the "Kahal Kadosh Portugal".

Connected to Portugal hostages released (5):

23. Alma Or (age 17), daughter of Dror Or. The Ermoza Sephardic family and its Ladino inspired the famous Netflix series "Beauty Queen of Jerusalem".

24. Noam Or (age 15), daughter of Dror Or.

25. Liam Or (23 years old), nephew of Dror Or.

26. Sahar Kalderon (age 16). Daughter of Ofer Kalderon, from a Greek Sephardic family. There are records of this family in Kahal Kadosh Portugal of Salonika.

27. Erez Kalderon (age 12). Son of Ofer Kalderon.

Seriously injured (1):

28. Menachem Hillel Ben Kalifa (22 years old).

Son of Rephael Ben Kalifa (Attar/Assayag), who is the son of Miriam Attar Assayag, from a family of the traditional Sephardic community of Morocco. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, members of this family returned to Portugal, and there are records of their names in the Jewish cemeteries of Lisbon and the Azores.

The injured Menachem Ben Kalifa is making good progress.

There are also sad records of Portuguese heroes who died while serving the IDF in the last 3 months.