Netanyahu to attend state memorial ceremonies tomorrow for victims of October 7

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will attend two state memorial ceremonies at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem tomorrow to remember those killed during the Hamas-led invasion and massacre on October 7, 2023, and during the subsequent war in Gaza, his office announces.

At 11 a.m., Netanyahu will take part in a state memorial for the fallen soldiers of the war, and later in a 2 p.m. ceremony honoring the victims of the massacre and the war, the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.

Earlier this month, on October 7, thousands across Israel marked two years since Hamas’s assault, including at a mass memorial in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park — the largest commemoration to date and a replacement for an official state event.

The government, however, designated a national day of remembrance according to the Hebrew calendar, on the 24th of Tishrei — two days after the Hebrew anniversary of the attack, on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah — which this year falls on Thursday, October 16.

President Isaac Herzog will also speak at both ceremonies, his office announces.

He will also take part in additional memorial events: at 4:45 p.m. at the President’s Residence, at 7:30 p.m. at Sapir College in Sha’ar HaNegev, and at 8:10 p.m. near Sderot’s former local police station, which was infamously assaulted by Hamas terrorists during the massacre and later bulldozed by Israeli forces.