Israeli Air Force to forgo Independence Day flyover for 2nd year

Once again, the Israeli Air Force will not hold its annual Independence Day flyover this year, the military decided Wednesday.

The IDF said that the flyby, as well as the Navy’s annual flotilla procession in Eilat, will not be held due to the military’s focus on the war in the Gaza Strip.

Four fighter jets will still fly over the Mount Herzl military cemetery as a “salute” during National Memorial Day, which is held the day before Independence Day.

The IDF made a similar move last year as well amid subdued Independence Day celebrations.

War erupted on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led over 5,000 attackers to invade southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Terrorists also abducted 251 people who were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip.

The day after the Hamas attack in 2023, allied Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon began attacking along the northern border, sparking fighting that eventually escalated into open war. Israel decimated Hezbollah’s leadership, including its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a massive airstrike on his Beirut bunker. That war ended with a November 2024 ceasefire.

When Nasrallah was given a final burial in February, four Israeli jets flew over the ceremony.

A January ceasefire in Gaza that lasted several weeks and included the release of dozens of hostages in small batches eventually collapsed and Israel has resumed strikes in Gaza aiming to pressure Hamas to negotiate the release of more hostages.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.