by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel on Thursday officially marked two years since the Hamas-led invasion and massacre of October 7, 2023, in a solemn state memorial ceremony at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl cemetery. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Israel’s military achievements during the Gaza war while warning that “the struggle isn’t over.”
The ceremony took place amid a bittersweet national mood, as the conflict sparked by Hamas’s brutal assault appeared to be nearing its conclusion under the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace framework. The deal saw the return of the final 20 living hostages and the remains of nine more from Gaza, even as efforts continued to recover the 19 remaining bodies of deceased captives.
President Isaac Herzog, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, top defense officials, cabinet ministers, Knesset members, bereaved families, and soldiers attended the ceremony, honoring both the fallen soldiers of the October 7 attack and the subsequent war. A separate event later Thursday commemorated the murdered civilians.
Netanyahu: ‘Determined to Complete Victory’
Addressing the crowd, Netanyahu vowed to achieve “all the war’s objectives,” reaffirming Israel’s commitment to bring home every last hostage and confront Iran and its proxies.
“The struggle is not over,” Netanyahu said. “Anyone who raises a hand against us already knows he will pay a very heavy price. We are determined to complete the victory that will shape the order of our lives for many years.”
He praised Israel’s diverse fighting forces — “Jews, Druze, Christians, Muslims, Bedouin, Circassians” — who stood “shoulder to shoulder” in the war. The prime minister dismissed accusations of genocide against Israel, arguing that the true genocide occurred on October 7.
“If those murderers had been able to do more, they would have slaughtered every one of us,” Netanyahu said, describing Hamas’s atrocities as “among the peaks of barbarity known to humanity.”
He also celebrated Israel’s expanding regional ties, saying the war’s outcome has opened “dramatic and great opportunities to widen the circle of peace” with Arab and Muslim nations.
Herzog: ‘We Must Be Worthy of Their Sacrifice’
In his address, President Herzog emphasized unity and repentance, calling on Israelis to reject division and polarization as the nation rebuilds after two years of war.
“When we do not surrender to the extremists and the agitators among us – when we unite around a shared flag and a common purpose – there is no task we cannot achieve,” Herzog said.
He thanked the families of fallen soldiers and the IDF for their sacrifice, noting that President Trump had personally praised Israeli troops in his Monday address to the Knesset for their “heroism and contribution to a historic turning point now unfolding.”
Herzog also urged continued efforts to retrieve the remaining 19 bodies of hostages from Gaza, saying, “We must act by every means and through every channel until every one of the fallen and the hostages — down to the very last — is brought home.”
‘A Day of National Reckoning’
Later in the day, Herzog addressed families of the civilian victims of the October 7 massacre, asking forgiveness on behalf of the state for its failure to protect its citizens.
“All that is left for me is to embrace you, to ask forgiveness on behalf of the State of Israel – for the failure and for not having defended you on that dreadful day,” Herzog said, calling for a full investigation into the government’s failures surrounding the attack.
The High Court of Justice on Wednesday pressed the government to establish a state commission of inquiry, ruling there was “no real argument” against it.
Netanyahu, in a second address, reaffirmed Israel’s ongoing “battle against terror,” vowing that “our struggle will continue with full force” even as the nation looks toward rebuilding.
“From the valley of weeping [on October 7] we reached Mount Hermon and the skies of Tehran,” Netanyahu declared. “We rose to our feet as one — and we will remain standing as one.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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