The nation’s “moral duty” is to bring home the hostages still held by Hamas, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Monday.
“This is our mission; this is the true test of our identity as the Israel Defense Forces,” Zamir said during a ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem honoring Israel’s fallen security personnel.
The IDF’s task is not only to fight for the nation’s survival, but “to live; to build a secure, free, and prosperous future for our dear country,” he said.
Addressing the crowd ahead of Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars and Victims of Terrorism, to be observed on Tuesday evening and Wednesday, Zamir said the country is facing “complicated and challenging times” and stressed the IDF’s role as a moral compass amid national upheaval.
“In these times, the IDF must serve as a stable anchor, a safe base, and a source of trust for us all,” he said. He added that it is the army’s obligation “to highlight the way forward and to act at all times, without hesitation ..., out of steady honesty, for the sake of unity, cohesiveness, and victory.”
According to figures released by the Defense Ministry last week, 25,417 servicemen and women have died in defense of the Jewish people and the struggle to reestablish the state since 1860.
Since last year’s Memorial Day, marked on May 27, 2024, 316 IDF soldiers have been killed while defending Israel, alongside 79 civilians murdered in terrorist attacks. An additional 61 IDF troops succumbed to wounds sustained in earlier attacks.
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and the subsequent Swords of Iron war on Israel’s borders, 934 civilians have been killed, including 778 on Oct. 7 alone, according to National Insurance Institute figures. The victims of Oct. 7 account for nearly one-fifth of the slain civilians in Israel’s history.
In the past year, 1,647 Israelis have joined the community of bereaved families, including 487 bereaved parents, 85 widows and 163 orphans. As of Friday, Israel has 8,674 bereaved parents, 5,391 widows, 10,302 orphans and 34,250 bereaved siblings.
