Remembrance Day began Tuesday evening with a central ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, marked by a one-minute siren sounded across the country.
President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir attended the ceremony, during which a memorial candle was lit in honor of the fallen.
Opening the event, Herzog said, “Every year, the sound of this siren – here, beside the Wall of Tears, and throughout the land – shakes and stirs the heart. [It is] the sound of heroism and resilience. Our sound, the sound of us all – all shades of our nation.
“The sound always reminds us where we came from and where we are going. The sound of the righteousness of our path. ‘A still small voice will be heard. Fear and trembling shall seize them.’”
Herzog noted that this year, the siren carried additional urgency. “Perhaps more than ever, the sound of this memorial siren is also a true alarm, commanding u: to unite and to come together. Not to tear ourselves apart from within. Not to destroy our home.
“A sound that rises again and again and again, like terrible weeping, like a wail, like a cry tearing through the gates of heaven. For the fallen men and women, the murdered victims; for the many wounded, in body and spirit; for our brothers and sisters held captive – beloved, suffering – trapped in distress and captivity for over a year and a half,” he said.
Addressing the hostages held by Hamas, Herzog declared, “A whole nation misses you, worries for you, cries out your cry. A whole nation is tormented beyond measure. A whole nation knows – in every fiber of its soul – that the wound will not heal until you return. Until you come back to us.”
Here – in the place where our soldiers swear to defend the homeland and the freedom of Israel – we too swear, I too swear not to rest and not to be silent. Not even for a moment. To act with all our strength, by every means. To take one more step, and another, until all of you return – every single one of you.”
Zamir addresses Israeli hostages and warns Hamas
Herzog also emphasized the obligation of military service, “Generation after generation has seen defending Israel’s security not as a burden, Heaven forbid, but as an immense privilege. A mitzvah (sacred duty) to enlist, to serve, to wear olive-green uniforms. ‘The aid of Israel from the hand of its enemy’ is a right sanctified by blood; and upon all of us – all the communities of Israel – lies the duty to take part and lend a shoulder.”
In his remarks, Zamir praised the resilience of today’s soldiers. “A wonderful generation of fearless fighters has risen. On every front, on the home front and at the line of fire, I meet them, standing shoulder to shoulder, determined, united, heeding the call – understanding the gravity of the moment.
“The IDF, the people’s army, is committed to fulfilling its missions, and at this time, more than ever, we need everyone. It is an operational necessity and, at the same time, a national need for equality and a shared destiny. I call on everyone to take their place beneath the stretcher in our people’s historic journey toward independence, freedom, and security,” he said.
Addressing the families of captives, Zamir said, “Your voices are heard. The faces of your loved ones are constantly before my eyes. Our foremost moral and national obligation is to bring the hostages home. We will not rest and we will not be silent. We will continue to act in every way until we complete this sacred mission.”
Zamir warned Hamas against underestimating Israel’s determination. “Our enemies misjudged our response. So too does Hamas misjudge our determination to return the captives and to defeat them. The two missions are intertwined. We will continue and intensify our actions until both are fulfilled.
“As the commander of the Israel Defense Forces, standing here at the foot of the stones of the Western Wall, I swear, together with all IDF soldiers, to continue fulfilling the responsibility placed upon us: to defend the State of Israel and to guarantee our right to live here forever – in a safe and flourishing country.”