Flags with black ribbons placed on graves of fallen security personnel ahead of Memorial Day

Military officials across the country place 25,420 miniature flags at half-staff adorned with black ribbons and the word “Yizkor,” or remembrance, on the graves of soldiers, police officers and other security personnel, as the state prepares to mark Memorial Day from sundown tomorrow.

During the ceremony, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir addresses bereaved families, stating, “The Land of Israel preserves the memory of its fallen throughout its length and breadth; in the expanses where they grew up, along the trails they walked, and in the places they defended with their lives.”

“When we look today at each headstone and grave, we will remember that alongside the pain of their loss, there is also pride in the independence of our nation,” he adds.

Israel will come to a standstill Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. for a minute-long memorial siren to commemorate the country’s fallen soldiers and terror victims. The siren will be followed by the lighting of a memorial flame for the fallen at the Western Wall, the site of the official state commemoration ceremony. Memorial services will be held across the country.

On Wednesday, a two-minute siren will sound at 11 a.m. to mark the start of ceremonies at cemeteries nationwide.

Later in the day, another official ceremony will take place at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem between 7 and 8 p.m., marking the end of Memorial Day and the beginning of Independence Day.