Netanyahu declares Sunday a day of national mourning for Meron victims, promises thorough probe

Visiting the site of the Meron disaster, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that Sunday would be marked a “day of national mourning.”

“There were heartbreaking scenes here. People who were crushed to death, including children,” Netanyahu says in a video from the scene.

He asked Israelis not to spread rumors about the identity of the dead. “Many of the dead have yet to be identified, and I ask not to spread rumors on social networks because it breaks the families’ hearts. Let the authorities work.”

He praised the rescuers, whose “fast work” prevented “a much larger disaster.”

“We will carry out a comprehensive, serious, detailed investigation to ensure this kind of disaster never happens again,” he vowed.

“I ask on Sunday to announce a day of national mourning. We will all join in the grief of the families and in prayer for the wounded.”

Screenshot of a video released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the scene of the deadly stampede at Mount Meron, on April 30, 2021. (Channel 12 screen capture)

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