Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror went underway Monday evening as the country mourns the loss of 24,213 brave men and women who died protecting the country, as well as 4,255 victims of terrorist acts from the early days of Zionism to the present.
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On Tuesday, a two-minute siren will sound nationwide at 11am (Jerusalem time, 7am GMT), followed by official memorial services at military cemeteries throughout the country.
Memorial Day events will kick off at 8:30am with a name-reading ceremony in honor of the fallen at the National Memorial Hall For Israel's Fallen on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
The service will be attended by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the director-general of his ministry Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, as well as representatives of the IDF, the police and the prison service.
The main event will be held later that day in the same spot in the presence of President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut. An Air Force flyby will see jets fly in formation above the national cemetery.
A separate service in memory of victims of terrorism will be held at the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial on Mount Herzl at 1pm.
Since last year's Memorial Day, 59 servicemembers and victims of terror who have lost their lives were added to the long list of names Israel wishes to cherish and remember.
Additionally, 86 individuals who became disabled during their service or in terror attacks and subsequently passed away were also recognized.
Memorial Day services in many of the military cemeteries around the country on Tuesday may be tense due to protests from bereaved families against the presence of government representatives.
These protests have led some government officials, including cabinet ministers, to cancel their attendance at the ceremonies at the families' request.
President Isaac Herzog and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi devoted parts of their speeches at the main opening event at the Western Wall Monday to a plea to avoid bringing political divisions into the memorial ceremonies.
These calls come amid recent concerns that protesters may stage vocal demonstrations against government officials and Knesset members at the upcoming memorial services.
Apart from Monday’s national ceremonies, additional events took place throughout the country, such as "Songs in their Memory" at the Knesset and in Tel Aviv.
Also in Tel Aviv, 10,000 people gathered to take part in a joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial service. Several right-wing protesters gathered outside, flying flags and chanting slogans.
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Israeli dignitaries and their spouses take part in 'Songs in their Memory' event at Knesset
(Photo: Knesset)
The ceremony attracted special attention after the Supreme Court permitted Palestinians from the West Bank to attend, overruling Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's earlier decision to prohibit their attendance.
Meanwhile, 7,000 people gathered at Yad L'Shiryon in Latrun in central Israel for an English-language service
The event, organized by the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government, is considered the largest English-language Memorial Day service in Israel and was broadcast live here on Ynetnews to Jews and friends of Israel around the world, from Russia, through Brazil and Argentina to New Zealand.