Defense Minister Benny Gantz says at a memorial service for the fallen in the 1973 Yom Kippur that Israel has again been caught unprepared, this time by the coronavirus pandemic.
"We must honestly admit, this time too we were caught unprepared," Gantz says at the remembrance ceremony for the war that began with a surprise attack on Israel on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
"We have starved our excellent healthcare system for years. We have not responded properly," Gantz says.
"This time, too, the price we pay in human life is very heavy. But this time, too, we will prevail - and we will do so when everyone unites in the effort."