Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered his sympathies to families unable to visit the graves of fallen loved ones on Memorial Day due to coronavirus restrictions.
"My brothers and sisters in the family of the bereaved, we have known different Memorial Days. This year we remember our sons and daughters the glorious heroes in the midst of the fight against the coronavirus," said Netanyahu.
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Police block the entrance to the military cemetery in Givatayim on Tuesday
(Photo: Yair Sagi)
"We will do so with determination, fierceness and national unity. These values are the legacy of the fallen, the legacy of our loved ones," the prime minister said.
Netanyahu's brother Yonatan was killed in a 1976 mission to rescue hostages from Palestinian terrorists who hijacked an Air France plane and flew it to Entebbe.
"I know how hard it is, because like you, I want to be at the graveside of my brother, may his memory be a blessing," Netanyahu said.
"They would want us all to continue living in health and security. This year we will remember them in many other ways."
Large numbers of police officers have been posted across Israel to enforce the ban on visits to military cemeteries, which prevents bereaved families from visiting the graves of loved ones, an Israeli tradition on the day to commemorate fallen soldiers and terror victims.
Officers have been instructed not to use force to prevent people from entering the cemeteries but to try to persuade not to do so.
Despite the ban, a small number of people entered cemeteries Tuesday to pay their respects, while some bereaved families protested outside IKEA in Rishon Lezion over the fact that the furniture chain has been allowed to reopen and the cemeteries were closed.
A siren was to sound across the country at 11am Tuesday, followed by the main memorial service honoring fallen IDF soldiers at Mount Herzl military cemetery in the capital.
President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Baftali Bennett were all expected to attend the event.
The main memorial service for the victims of terror attacks will be held immediately afterward at 1pm. Both events will be held without an audience.
The virus also overshadowed the official state ceremony to mark the start of national day of mourning, which was held Monday night without the usual audience of bereaved families and dignitaries.
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IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi and President Reuven Rivlin arrive for the Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Wall on Monday night
(Photo: Central Productions)
Forty-two soldiers have been killed since last Memorial Day and the number of Israeli casualties of war stands at 23,816, counted since 1873, according to figures released by the Defense Ministry.
The total number of terror victims stands at 4,166, with the last victim being Rina Shnerb, who was killed in August 2019, when she was hit by an improvised explosive device when she visited Danny Spring near the West Bank settlement of Dolev.