PM jeered as leaders stress need to free hostages at memorials for Gaza war victims
Two official events at Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem commemorate soldiers and civilians killed; pair of Gaza border kibbutzim refuse to participate in ceremonies
Israel on Sunday marked a national day of mourning for the victims of the ongoing war sparked by the Hamas-led October 7 massacre last year, with top public figures highlighting the need to bring home the hostages held by the terror group, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was heckled by bereaved families over his failure to prevent the devastating onslaught.
Two state ceremonies were held, both organized by Transportation Minister Miri Regev. The first, which began at 11 a.m., was for the memory of fallen soldiers and members of security forces. At 2 p.m., the second ceremony was held in memory of the civilian victims of the Hamas attack.
Previous official ceremonies were held several weeks ago on the Gregorian anniversary of the terror onslaught that started the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The second national day of mourning for the Hamas assault was approved earlier this month, to be held on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei — three days after the annual Simhat Torah holiday, which is when the Hamas attack took place last year.
At the first of the two official ceremonies held at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, President Isaac Herzog said Israel must take advantage of the opportunity presented by the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to bring the hostages home from Gaza.
“The critical, supreme task still lies ahead of us — to urgently bring back the hostages from the hands of the murderers,” he said. “The elimination of the arch-terrorist Sinwar and other enemies, and the impressive fighting by the IDF and security forces, have created an opportunity that we must not miss.”
Addressing a gathering that included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the president said that Israel must act “with all our might, and in every way — with determination, creativity and boldness to secure the return home of the hostages.”
“The blood of our brothers cries out to us,” he said. “Their rescue is a supreme and binding duty, without which we cannot be whole as a people and as a state.”
Family members of soldiers who were killed in the fighting lit memorial torches at the event.
In his own remarks, Netanyahu said, “A year ago we suffered a hard blow but we did not break. We fought back, and so we have been doing since then till today. We do not forget the hostage and are committed to returning both those still living and the deceased. We will not relent.”
Netanyahu also commented on an Israeli strike on Iran overnight Friday, which hit air defense systems as well as sites that produce drones and rockets that Iranian proxies have used against Israel during the Gaza war.
The strike in Iran was “precise and powerful, and achieved all of its goals,” he said. Saturday’s strikes followed a systematic, months-long campaign to “cut the arms of the Iranian octopus, Hezbollah and Hamas,” he added. “Two days ago, we struck the head of the octopus, the Iranian regime.”
Referring to mediated negotiations for a ceasefire with Hamas in exchange for the hostages, Gallant told the ceremony that “not all goals can be achieved via military action” and that returning the hostages requires “painful compromise.”
Mossad Director David Barnea was set to travel on Sunday to Qatar, which is mediating the talks and hosts a number of top Hamas leaders, to restart discussions on a hostage deal that have been largely stalled for over two months.
The official day of mourning began at 6:29 a.m., the same time that Hamas opened its massive cross-border attack on southern Israel last October, slaughtering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages to the Gaza Strip.
Flags were lowered to half-staff, where they were to remain until being raised again at sunset.
At the second ceremony, Netanyahu was heckled as he spoke by bereaved families, who shouted that their family members were murdered, while others cried out “Shame on you!”
The premier restarted his speech after the hecklers were removed from the event, in which he vowed to hold those who harmed Israelis to account “without compromise.”
נאלץ להפסיק את הנאום: משפחות שכולות צעקו לעבר נתניהו בטקס לזכר הנרצחים בטבח
@dikla_aharon pic.twitter.com/TalQHVy6fE— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 27, 2024
Also at the ceremony, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar said the security agency is still in the midst of an in-depth investigation into how it failed so badly to protect the citizens of Israel.
“We are in the middle of a deep, penetrating investigation that will leave no stone unturned,” Bar said. “We are learning already now, amid the probe, changing and fixing. We are learning the reasons for the failure and dealing with its deepest layers to allow us to minimize the chances for such failures in the future.”
Bar said that a year ago Israel failed “in its most basic responsibility — protecting its citizens… we failed to provide sufficient warning.” But the attack “did not harm our determination to protect the country, its citizens and its values — on the contrary, it only increased it.”
Iris Haim, whose son Yotam was kidnapped by Hamas and then shot dead in error by IDF troops in northern Gaza as he tried to reach freedom, told the ceremony that “terrorists wanted to murder our children and did so, but they cannot murder our soul.”
“In this journey brave heroes with and without uniforms reveal themselves. The beautiful people of Israel choose every moment not to give up,” she said.
Haim said she felt the pain of hostage families while calling on those listening to continue to build a secure and moral country while restoring faith in Israel.
In a briefing issued to all soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces, army commander Herzi Halevi wrote that “in the midst of a long war we gather together, a nation mourning and in pain, and stop to remember.”
“We are fighting… to restore security to all of the country’s residents,” he said. “We are fighting also to return the hostages, an important and pressing goal of the war. Our duty to them and their families embodies our duty to our children, the fighters of tomorrow.”
Halevi also touched on the sensitive issue of alleged culpability for failures that contributed to the October 7 attacks.
“Recognizing failures and taking responsibility is the first step toward repair,” he said. “There are no wars that have no cost, and to my regret, the price of war is heavy for a nation that seeks to be free in its land.”
Netanyahu has rejected establishing a state commission of inquiry into the events leading up to October 7, saying it should only be done at the conclusion of the war.
The second day of memorial events has, like its predecessor, run into controversy amid anger by some families of victims or hostages over government responsibility for alleged failures that enabled Hamas to carry out the attack, and over efforts to secure the release of the hostages.
Families of victims and hostages were to hold their own ceremony, a public discussion at the so-called Hostages Square in Tel Aviv that has been a focus of public advocacy on behalf of the captives.
When the second Memorial Day was first announced it initially was not to feature speeches from families bereaved on October 7. Amid criticism, it was adjusted to include representation from bereaved families.
Residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the Gaza border communities hit hardest by the October 7 attack, did not participate in the second state ceremony.
The kibbutz, 117 of whose 400 members were either murdered or kidnapped during the onslaught, said Netanyahu had not responded to its invitation to visit the community.
The only ministers who were expected to arrive at the kibbutz were Education Minister Yoav Kisch and Interior Minister Moshe Arbel.
Many Nir Oz members have been highly critical of the premier throughout the war.
The government’s decision to hold an additional national day of mourning faced backlash from some families of those held hostage in Gaza.
Kibbutz Be’eri said in a statement reported last week by the Ynet outlet that its members would not be marking the second national day of mourning.
Schools throughout Israel held memorial programs, classes and activities.
Individual educational institutions produced their own events, under a set of broad guidelines released earlier in the month by the Education Ministry. Many schools had independently held smaller assemblies on October 7 itself.
According to the Education Ministry guidelines, elementary schools were also to hold ceremonies and present age-appropriate material, after information about the events was sent to parents ahead of time.
The official government date to commemorate October 7, the 24th day of the Jewish month of Tishrei, was decided on in March. The 24th of Tishrei, usually the first day of school following the Sukkot holiday break, fell on Saturday this year, so the government and school system planned to commemorate the October 7 events a day later on Sunday, the 25th of Tishrei, or October 27.
