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Israel to mark first post-Oct. 7 Memorial Day

A total of 30,139 security personnel and civilians have been killed defending the Land of Israel.

By JNS

Israel will mark its first post-Oct. 7 Memorial Day beginning Sunday at sundown and extending until Monday evening.

Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism (Yom Hazikaron) will be ushered in with a one-minute siren at 8 p.m., followed by a state ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

The event will be attended by President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.

At 9:15 p.m., the parliament will hold an event in memory of the fallen, to be attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and acting Supreme Court President Uzi Vogelman.

At 8:30 a.m. on Monday, the names of the fallen soldiers will be read at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.

Another two-minute siren will sound at 11 a.m., bringing the country to a standstill.

In case of rocket fire, a distinct siren will sound, one with alternating tones rather than a constant steady tone.

Minutes later, Israeli Air Force jets will fly over Mount Herzl, kicking off the main ceremony, to be attended by Herzog, Netanyahu and others.

Ceremonies will be held at cemeteries, community centers and schools across the country.

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Remembrance events will continue until Monday night, at which point the country will shift to celebrating its 76th Independence Day.

Since last Memorial Day (April 25, 2023), 1,594 Israeli soldiers and civilians have died.

This includes 760 Israel Defense Forces soldiers (61 of whom succumbed to their wounds from previous years) and 834 civilians, of which 822 were killed on or after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas in southern Israel, according to numbers released by the Israeli Ministry of Defense on Thursday.

Five additional soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip over the weekend.

A total of 30,139 security personnel and civilians have been killed defending the Land of Israel and in terrorist attacks since 1860, the year in which the first Jews left the walls of Jerusalem to build new Jewish neighborhoods.