Council Head Dagan thanks 600 Jews for visiting grave of Joshua Bin-Nun, praises them for 'keeping the embers alive.'

Approximately 600 people prayed Thursday night at the grave of Joshua Bin-Nun in Samaria.

The visitors were secured by IDF forces.

The visit, which required entering the village as well as holding prayers, was scheduled prior to the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul, which begins Saturday night.

Samarian Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan, who organized the trip together with the site's management, said: "We will continue to fulfill our obligation to the Jewish nation, and to protect and preserve our holy places in Samaria, including the grave of Joshua Bin-Nun. Part of preserving these sites is ensuring continued movement and bringing Jews from all over the country to visit these holy sites and pray at them."

"Our generation has the merit to visit places where thousands of generations only dreamed of, and this merit cannot be measured even in gold. We will continue to preserve these sites, Joshua's Tomb and Joseph's Tomb, for future generations. We expect the Israeli government to take a step forward and apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, and certainly over the holy sites."

Dagan thanked the site management, the IDF's Efraim Brigade, and the visitors who come each month and "help keep the embers alive."