Knesset panel restores word ‘massacre’ to Oct. 7 memorial bill

By Ariela Karmel

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27 May 2026, 5:31 pm

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

People stand in a moment of silence beside photos of victims of terror attacks and fallen Israeli soldiers at Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv at the start of Israel’s Memorial Day, April 20, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/ Flash90)

The Knesset Education Committee restores the word “massacre” to legislation establishing an annual state memorial day for the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, months after it was removed from the bill’s title at the request of the Prime Minister’s Office, sparking outrage among bereaved families.

Acting committee chairman Shas MK Yosef Taieb says lawmakers reinstated the bill’s original title, “Law for the commemoration of the massacre and heroism on Simhat Torah – October 7,” because the government was “sensitive to concerns,” insisting that “no one wants to whitewash or change the narrative.”

The move comes after relatives of victims accused the government of attempting to “erase” history and evade accountability by dropping the word “massacre” from the legislation in February.

Despite the reversal, sharp disagreements remain over how the day should be commemorated, with bereaved families criticizing language in the bill describing one of its goals as strengthening “national resilience and social cohesion,” arguing that the focus should remain on remembering those murdered and abducted.

“Why is strengthening social cohesion relevant to this law? The law is about the day of the massacre and the days surrounding it,” says Esther Buchshtav, whose son Yagev Buchshtav was abducted by Hamas on October 7th and murdered in captivity.

Reut Edri, whose son Ido Edri, a Shin Bet agent, was killed at the Nova music festival, argues similarly that “the massacre, the failure and abandonment have no place alongside heroism. Please understand the families’ request to separate them.”

Responding to the criticism, Taieb proposes removing references to resilience and social cohesion from the bill’s statement of purpose, saying that “if commemoration and heroism do not ultimately contribute to national resilience, then there is no point in the bill.”

Backed by more than 80 of the 120 MKs, the bill would establish a national memorial day for the October 7 attack, the worst in Israel’s history, on the 24th of the Jewish month of Tishrei.