‘Stop the hatred’: As Israel marks Memorial Day, Herzog pleads for peace within society

Israelis on Tuesday evening began to mark the second Memorial Day since the October 7 Hamas massacre sparked the war in Gaza, with ceremonies across the country commemorating those who have fallen in the country’s wars as well as victims of terror.

Nationwide sirens at 8 p.m. brought the nation to a halt, marking a minute of silence and the beginning of memorial ceremonies.

At the official state memorial event at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, President Isaac Herzog urged the public to set aside divisions and work towards peace and unity across Israeli society.

He opened his speech with a message to the 59 hostages who remain captive in Gaza, telling them: “A whole nation is missing you, worrying for you, crying your cry.”

Israel is “a nation tormented beyond measure,” the president said. “A nation that knows — deep in its soul, burned with longing and anxiety — that the wound cannot heal until you return.”

“Here, at the place where our soldiers swear to defend the homeland and the freedom of Israel — we too swear, I swear, not to rest and not to be still. Not to rest and not to be still. Not even for a moment. To act with all our might, by every means, to take one more step, and another, until all of you come home,” Herzog vowed.

The president then turned to the main focus of his speech and shared the stories of several families that lost two or more family members in fighting or terror attacks.

“We have seen how the words ‘cleared for publication’ can destroy an entire world,” Herzog said, referring to the statements published by the military and in the media when a soldier is killed in action. “And, horrifyingly, how sometimes, within the very same home, yet another world is destroyed — how one family must endure loss upon loss, live life upon life layered with longing.”

He said that it is thanks to these families, “who gave everything — and then gave everything again,” that Israel endures.

“Beloved and cherished bereaved families,” he then said, “the truth must be spoken: We have never sought to live by the sword. We are not war-loving people.”

“On the contrary: peace was, and remains, our greatest yearning. We will never give up on reaching out for peace. Never,” Herzog vowed. “At the same time, we will never renounce, even for a moment, our duty to defend ourselves, and our historic and natural right to exist—like every nation—sovereign in our homeland.”

He said that peace “is not only an aspiration outward, toward our neighbors, but a supreme, binding duty inward, within our own home.”

Throughout this difficult war,” he said, “I have met thousands of bereaved families. One message, one plea, one cry rose from every heart, from every soul, again and again: lower the flames. Mend the hearts. Keep us one people.”

“Enough! Enough division! Enough polarization! Enough hatred!” the president implored. “We must not, by our own hands, bring about the destruction of our national home.”

He ended with a call for the public to “remove the IDF from political disputes,” and to “place the Shin Bet, the Mossad, the police, and all security services above all disputes.”

Our enemies are wrong

While Herzog highlighted a yearning for peace, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had a message for those who seek to harm Israel.

In his speech, Zamir said Hamas “is mistaken” about the military’s determination to return the hostages and defeat the terror group.

“We must remember, we are in a multi-front war for the very existence of the State of Israel. Iran and its proxies opened a war. They seek to eliminate the Zionist idea and deprive us of our right to live here as a free and sovereign people,” he said.

“Our enemies were wrong in assessing our response. So, too, Hamas is mistaken about our determination to return the hostages and defeat it. Both tasks involve each other. We will increase our activities until both tasks are completed,” Zamir said.

“To the families of our kidnapped soldiers and civilians, I wish to say: Your voice is heard. The faces of your loved ones are ever before my eyes. Our moral, national, and foremost obligation is to bring the hostages home. We will not rest, and we will not remain silent. We will continue to act in every way possible until we fulfill this sacred mission,” he stated.

In comments aimed at the ultra-Orthodox community, who largely don’t serve in the military, Zamir said: “The IDF, the people’s army, is obligated to meet its tasks, and at this time, more than ever, we need everyone.”

“This is an operational necessity, and at the same time, a national need for equality and unity of destiny. I call on everyone to get under the stretcher in the shared historic journey of our people. Toward independence, freedom, and security,” Zamir said.

“I have no doubt that the partnership will be in harmony with the unique diversity that has characterized the people of Israel throughout history,” he said.

Zamir also mentioned the “brave” surveillance soldiers from the Nahal Oz military post, many of whom were killed and kidnapped during Hamas’s October 7 onslaught: “They reported about the breach of the fence, while keeping their composure in an exemplary manner. They did not stop even when terrorists were close. Even when the shooting was heard right next to them, they continued to alert, until their voices were no longer heard.”

“As the commander of the Israel Defense Forces, as I stand here next to the Western Wall, I swear, along with all IDF soldiers, to continue to realize our responsibility: to protect the State of Israel and ensure our right to live here in a safe and prosperous state,” he added.

One country, one fate

Speaking earlier in the day at the Yad Labanim memorial for fallen soldiers in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a message of unity: “We all have one home. We all have one country. We all have one fate. We all have one future.”

“We have a historic opportunity to renew our national independence,” Netanyahu said. “We will not receive another chance.”

During the speech, Netanyahu was interrupted by protesting members of bereaved families, one of whom shouted, “You didn’t come to comfort us — you destroyed us.”

Netanyahu continued, saying that Israel’s soldiers are “laying down their lives to create the conditions for the return of our dear hostages, who are always, always at the front of our minds.”

“Bringing them home is a holy mission,” Netanyahu said. “We will not let up.”

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana was also interrupted by a bereaved father during his speech, after he mentioned Maj. Dvir Zion Revah, an IDF company commander who was killed in northern Gaza in January.

“Don’t speak about my son!” Avi Revah shouted. “Don’t speak about my child, you don’t deserve to! You will not speak about him! You are not worthy of his blood!”

Ohana responded to Revah that he respects his wishes, but asked for permission to read aloud a prayer written by Dvir shortly before his death.

After the speech, he left the podium to join Revah in the audience in order to speak with him privately. Netanyahu was also seen speaking to Revah a short while later.

3,000 in Jerusalem at memorial ceremony for fallen Haredi soldiers

Some 3,000 people gathered Tuesday evening at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem for a Memorial Day ceremony honoring fallen soldiers from Haredi tracks in the IDF.

The ceremony was organized by the Netzach Yehuda NGO, which supports the Netzach Yehuda Battalion, established over 25 years ago to facilitate the service of Haredi men as combat soldiers.

Keynote speakers at the ceremony included former chief rabbi Shlomo Amar.

The event took place against the background of a deep social crisis in Israel, as the Haredi leadership refuses to give up the sweeping exemptions from army service traditionally granted to young ultra-Orthodox men, even as Israel finds itself involved in the longest war in its history.

An alternative ceremony

Also, Tuesday evening, the 20th alternative Israeli Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony was held, prominently featuring Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in Israel and the war in Gaza, as well as the wider conflict.

Palestinians participated in a parallel 200-person ceremony in Beit Jala in the West Bank held in conjunction with the Jaffa ceremony, as they were unable to attend the ceremony inside Israel since the country revoked all entry permits to Palestinians following October 7, 2023.

Liat Atzili, a survivor of the Nir Oz massacre who survived Hamas captivity in Gaza and whose husband Aviv was killed on October 7th, addressed the audience, saying, “Freedom is a heavy burden, but it is the only force capable of bringing peace among people and building a just and moral society.”

In a pre-recorded video broadcast, Musa Khatawi, who joined the Parents Circle-Families Forum after losing members of his family during the war in Gaza, said, “Our struggle is not only for justice; it is for the right to live with dignity, without fear, and to end this cycle of violence. Now is the time to insist on ending the occupation and preventing more bloodshed.”

Mob violence in Ra’anana

The joint Israeli-Palestinian ceremony drew anger in Ra’anana, where it was being broadcast at a Reform synagogue in the central Israeli suburb.

A right-wing mob descended on the synagogue, throwing rocks, shouting racist slogans, spitting and hitting participants, and breaking into the synagogue, forcing the police to evacuate the event, in what Ra’anana’s deputy mayor said “felt like a sort of pogrom.”

The demonstrators, numbering at least several dozen, also attacked the car of a woman driving nearby who was wearing a hijab, Haaretz reported. The right-wing group knocked on the doors and windows of her car, spat at her, and shouted racist slogans until the woman was rescued by police, according to the paper.

תהיו גאים בעצמכם, מחנה ימין, אמוני, חובשי כיפות ושאר קלישאות. ללא ספק גידלתם דור לתפארת.

(סיום טקס זיכרון משותף, רעננה, צילם צפריר קוסט) pic.twitter.com/p4EScTWySQ

— ישראל פריי (@freyisrael1) April 29, 2025

“They threw rocks at us and firecrackers outside [the synagogue], it was insane,” Irit, an activist from the Standing Together group who was participating in the event, told the newspaper.

“I heard shouting, it was frightening. We were besieged inside,” said Gali Gavish, another participant.

Ra’anana Deputy Mayor Ronit Weintraub told Ynet: “The police are simply angels. They protected me and took me safely to my car. One moment, I was surrounded by people screaming, who started to hit my legs and spit at me. It’s frightening that it happened in Ra’anana and the State of Israel. It felt like a sort of pogrom.”

התמונות האלה מפינוי בית הכנסת ברעננה, שם כוחות משטרה מחלצים כ-30 אנשים שבאו לצפות בטקס יום הזיכרון האלטרנטיבי.
בחוץ עשרות צעירים פעילי ימין שנוקטים באלימות נגד מי שהעזו לצפות בטקס. אחת המשתתפות הותקפה באלימות, כולל יריקות ותקיפות פיזיות.
איפה המשטרה הייתה עד עכשיו? pic.twitter.com/n2GaoczuSq

— Josh Breiner (@JoshBreiner) April 29, 2025

Shortly before the start of the ceremony, the right-wing Btsalmo organization posted on social media: “We don’t let terror supporters enter Ra’anana. Let’s all of us go there this evening with Israeli flags, photos of fallen soldiers and memorial candles,” demanding “the return of the territory to the city’s residents.”

Police, expecting a crowd to protest the event, were present from the start, but in insufficient numbers to ward off the disorder once it broke out. Upon the outbreak of chaos, police evacuated the event, escorting participants out in small groups, as the demonstrators shouted at them.

Among the slogans shouted by the rioters were “Your village should be burned!” and “Allah to Gaza!” according to Haaretz.

The Parents Circle Families Forum responded to the events in a statement, saying: “It’s unfortunate that on this day, when we are commemorating our loved ones whom we’ve lost as a result of this bloody cycle, there are those who choose to silence us with violence. We will not stop our struggle for peace, justice, and security for both peoples.”

Chaos in Tel Aviv

Separately, chaos briefly broke out at a Memorial Day ceremony in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square after a man was arrested on suspicion of trying to attack police officers.

The arrest, which police said was due to suspected criminal activity — meaning that there was no risk of it being a terror attack — set off panic among onlookers, who began to flee the square, fearing an unfolding security incident.

Among the fleeing crowds, rumors of gunshots also began to spread, further contributing to the panic.

In an attempt to restore order, the Israel Police put out a statement reassuring the public that: “There is no security incident at Habima in Tel Aviv and there was no shooting.”

Three hundred and nineteen soldiers have been killed during their military service since Israel’s last Memorial Day, the Defense Ministry said, and another 61 disabled veterans died due to complications from injuries sustained during their service.

The numbers brought the total to 25,420 of those who have died during service to the country since 1860, the year from which Israel, and before it the Jewish community in the region, began counting its fallen soldiers and defenders.

The annual figures include all soldiers, police officers, Shin Bet agents, and civilian security officers who died in the past year, whether in the line of duty or as a result of an accident, illness, or suicide.

The vast majority of the 319 were killed amid the ongoing war, during fighting in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and the West Bank.