Israeli President Isaac Herzog opened the country’s Memorial Day events on Tuesday evening with a somber state ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, honoring fallen Israel Defense Forces soldiers and victims of terrorism.
Speaking alongside Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and bereaved families, Herzog issued a passionate call for national unity and demanded the return of all hostages still held in Gaza.
“This year, more than ever, the siren’s sound is also a true alarm,” said Herzog. “It rises like a terrible cry ... for the kidnapped, the wounded, the murdered. We will not rest and we will not be still—until all of you come home. Every single one.”
The president warned against internal division, urging Israelis to reject hatred and polarization. “Enough division! Enough polarization! Enough hatred!” he said. “We must not, by our own hands, bring about the destruction of our national home.”
Later in the evening, Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog attended the “Songs in Their Memory” event at the Knesset in tribute to Israel’s fallen.
According to Defense Ministry figures released ahead of the day of remembrance, 319 Israeli soldiers have fallen since last Memorial Day—most during fighting in Gaza, Lebanon and Judea and Samaria. An additional 61 disabled veterans succumbed to wounds sustained in earlier service, bringing the total number of Israel’s fallen security personnel to 25,420 since 1860.
Seventy-nine names were also added to the list of terrorism victims in the past year, raising the total to 5,229 since 1851, according to Israel’s National Insurance Institute.
