Israel Starts Most ‘Difficult Memorial Day’ Since Foundation

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – At 8 pm local time on Sunday, May 22, Israel came to “a halt for 24 hours” to mark “one of the most difficult Memorial Days since our country’s founding,” Israel’s government said.

“Every single Israeli knows someone who was murdered, kidnapped, or injured on and following October 7th. We live on Memorial Day every day in Israel. We remember the victims,” Israel added.

It was an apparent reference to the massacre of the Palestinian group Hamas of some 1,200 people in Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza.

“We remember their sacrifice, and we promise to keep living in their name. May the memory of the victims be a blessing,” the Israeli government said on social media platform X.

What is known in full as “Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel and Victims of Actions of Terrorism” is Israel’s official remembrance day enacted into law in 1963.

While Memorial Day, or “Yom HaZikaron” in Hebrew, was initially dedicated to thousands of fallen soldiers since the establishment of the State of Israel, the commemoration has been extended to civilian victims of terrorism.

While ceremonies began after a siren at sunset under the shadow of war, Israel said its account on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Over the next 24 hours…will join other Jewish creators and allies of the Jewish State and share the stories and photos of those we have lost.”

MOTHER’S DAY

Israel’s government said that “as families mark Mother’s Day on Sunday, there are many Israeli mothers who cannot celebrate with their children.”

One of them is Liora Argamni, who is dying from cancer. “Her daughter Noa has been held hostage by Hamas terrorists for more than six months. There are no words,” the government said.

She was among the roughly 250 people kidnapped by Hamas. The group is still holding 133 hostages, including human remains for the dozens who are believed to have died since the Hamas atrocities on October 7, Israeli officials say.

The grim mood was due to continue Tuesday on Israel’s annual “Day of Independence” or “Yom Ha’atzmaut” in Israel.

With Israeli troops engaged in combat operations in Gaza and along the Lebanese border and tens of thousands of people still displaced from their homes, Israel canceled its traditional Air Force flyovers and fireworks displays on May 14.

Last month, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, responsible for planning Israel’s Independence Day events, announced that the annual ceremony on Monday evening, which marks the transition from Memorial Day to Independence Day, will be filmed in advance without a live audience.

The traditional torch-lighting by notable individuals, usually held at Mount Herzl, is instead organized inside Gaza border communities attacked on October 7, as well as on Israel Defense Forces bases targeted in the Hamas violence, which suffered heavy losses.

NATIONAL BEREAVEMENT

This is being done to reflect “the overall public atmosphere of bereavement, loss and deep pain of the people of Israel,” an official statement said.

Survivors and family members have also expressed objections to dignitaries attending October 7 memorial ceremonies as questions remain about the government’s handling before and after the massacre.

Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will not be present, was invited to record a video address. He was also attending a ceremony in memory of fallen soldiers and victims of terror in Jerusalem on Sunday, followed by a “Songs in Their Memory” event at the Knesset, the parliament.

Muted celebrations were expected in numerous other towns, and Jerusalem won’t have any fireworks this year, said a municipality spokesperson.

Kibbutz Be’eri, which was the site of some of the worst Hamas atrocities on October 7, turned down the honor of having a representative lighting a torch at the central Independence Day ceremony, saying the event’s focus on “heroism” doesn’t reflect the tragedy of the assault.

“We believe this format is not respectful or proper, and therefore, in a joint decision, we decided not to participate in the ceremony,” surviving security team members said in published remarks.

Also rejecting offers to participate in the ceremony were entertainer and wounded soldier Idan Amedi and Nasreen Yousef, a resident of the Gaza border community of Yated, Israeli media reported.

BADLY BURNED

Amedi, a singer and actor on Israel’s hit television show “Fauda,” was badly burned in an explosion on January 8 while serving as a commander in the Combat Engineering Corps reserves in Gaza. Six soldiers were killed in the incident, which was accidentally caused by troops, Israeli officials said.

“There’s no greater honor, but unfortunately, I cannot accept the honor this year,” he wrote on social media. “So many heroes were discovered on that same Black Shabbat,” a reference to the October 7 atrocities. “Some were my troops in the past or the current war.”

Yousef, a Druze woman who Israel said “helped to prevent a bloodbath in Yated on October 7 by using her native Arabic to gather critical intelligence from terrorists,” has said she won’t accept the honor “due to threats” on her life and her family, apparently from within the Arab community.

The government regularly assigns ministers to attend various Memorial Day commemorations across the country, but its decision to do so this year without consulting bereaved families sparked a heated backlash, with critics accusing decision-makers of showing insensitivity ahead of Israel’s first post-October 7 national commemoration day.

Some politicians and family members of victims of the October 7 Hamas massacres have asked government ministers and lawmakers to also refrain from speaking at various ceremonies on May 12-13, citing concerns that the day will be tainted by politicians whom “many blame” for the failures surrounding “the unprecedented Hamas terror assault.”

Several ministers were greeted with protests and disruptions during Memorial Day ceremonies across the country in 2023. Those protests came amid intense national controversy over the government’s efforts to overhaul the judiciary.

Yet despite controversies, Israel’s prime minister has expressed hope that the nation will remain united as it faces massive security challenges.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.