A one-minute siren sounded across Israel on Monday evening as the country began Memorial Day, commemorating 25,648 soldiers killed in service and victims of attacks.
The nationwide siren at 8 p.m. was followed by an official ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, attended by President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.
“We are still in the midst of a campaign,” Herzog said at the ceremony, noting that additional soldiers had been killed in recent days. He described the war as a defining national test and praised the resilience of Israeli society.
Herzog also reflected on the silence following the siren, calling it “a heavy silence” filled with loss, describing grieving families, children without parents and loved ones left with unfinished final messages.
In his remarks, Herzog cited writings and poetry left behind by fallen soldiers, describing them as part of what he called the “song of life in Israel.” He urged the current generation of soldiers to look ahead.
“The generation of war deserves to dream about the day after it, it deserves a song of hope,” he said.
“We do not live by the sword alone, but alongside it,” Herzog added, emphasizing the balance between military strength and values such as peace, freedom and human dignity.
Zamir, speaking after Herzog, praised soldiers’ resilience and linked current fighting to earlier generations of fighters. “I remain without words in the face of your courage and determination,” he said.
He also referenced Israel’s confrontation with Iran, saying the military had acted to counter what he described as long-standing threats. “We will not allow Iran to realize its ambitions,” Zamir said.
Earlier in the day, an opening ceremony was held at Yad Labanim in Jerusalem, attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.
Addressing bereaved families, Netanyahu said, “The wound is deeper than time. Time passes but does not erase the moment of the bitter news — that our loved ones are no longer alive.” He described Memorial Day as both a moment of deep sorrow and national unity.
Ohana called the day “not a religious occasion, but a sacred one,” saying Israelis stand alongside bereaved families as the nation honors its fallen.
At 9 p.m., a pre-recorded event titled “Songs in Their Memory” was set to be broadcast without an audience, organized by the Knesset, the Defense Ministry and the National Insurance Institute.
On Tuesday morning, the names of fallen soldiers will be read at the Hall of Remembrance on Mount Herzl at 8:30 a.m., followed by a two-minute siren at 11 a.m. and the main state memorial ceremony.
The Defense Ministry said 147 names have been added to the list of fallen since last Memorial Day, along with 47 disabled veterans who died and were recognized as fallen service members.
Since 1860, the total number of Israel’s fallen stands at 25,648, including two soldiers killed over the weekend in southern Lebanon and two others who died in non-combat circumstances.