About 1,200 Christian leaders from 123 countries visited Shiloh in Samaria Friday to gather and pray at the site of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), where it reposed for more than three centuries before being moved to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the ninth century BCE.

The group had arrived earlier in the week as part of the Friends of Zion Ambassador Summit for its second annual gathering to commemorate the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and hear firsthand accounts from hostages, survivors, and families of victims.

“God chose Judea and Samaria. This is where it all began,” Mike Evans, the founder of the event, said. “Eighty percent of the stories in the Bible originate in Judea and Samaria. We must secure recognition for Judea and Samaria.”

Miss Universe Israel 2025 Melanie Shiraz, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, and other officials have participated in the event.

Evans said that the purpose of the summit is for Christians to “see Israel for themselves, hear directly from those whose lives were changed forever on October 7,” when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

The main event, which was attended by approximately 2,000 people, was held Wednesday, Oct. 7, at the site of the Nova Festival massacre, where former hostage Noa Argamani and other former hostages received the Hineni award. The event also featured wounded soldiers, victims’ families, Christian and Jewish leaders, and Israeli officials. After the conference, Friends of Zion participants will serve as ambassadors to their communities to fight anti-Israel propaganda.

Israeli Ambassador George Deek, Israel’s special envoy to the Christian world, said the gathering “carries a powerful message: Israel does not stand alone.”

“The bond between Israel and Christians around the world must be built on truth, courage, and a shared determination to confront antisemitism and hatred wherever they appear,” he said.