8,000 Jews pray at tomb of Biblical figure on anniversary of his death.

More than 8,000 Jews arrived Thursday night to pray at the tomb of the Biblical Prophet Joshua the son of Nun in the Samaria town of Kifl Hares.

Among the worshipers were 250 immigrants from France, the prayer was organized by the director of the Samaria Regional Council's holy sites division.

The worshipers were accompanied by security forces for protection.

Among the worshipers were the commander of the Ephraim Brigade, Roy Shetreet, the officers of the Central Command, Miki Siboni, Elitzur Trabelsi and Ilan Meranditz, the deputy head of the Shomron Regional Council Davidi Ben Zion, the Deputy Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, Yaakov Hagoel.

The worshipers read together the "Aleinu Le-Mashavah" prayer, which was written according to tradition by Yehoshua Bin Nun.

Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, said: "3242 years after the death of the leader of the Jewish people, Yehoshua Ben Nun, we are still here and go to his grave to mark the day of his death. There is no greater power for a nation that does not forget its leaders."

"For years we have been bringing thousands of people to the holy sites in Samaria and the tombs of the righteous, thus preserving the right to pray, the embers of the Jewish people and its hold on the land," Dagan added.