Overview
- Across Israel, nationwide rituals began Monday night with a two-minute siren and continued Tuesday at 11 a.m. with the central Mount Herzl ceremony, as entertainment venues closed and broadcasters aired memorial programming.
- Officials cited an expanded roll of the fallen, with about 25,644 soldiers and 5,313 civilians named this year, underscoring how recent wars have lengthened the lists read at cemeteries and on air.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at Yad LaBanim and in a national message, stressed sacrifice and resilience, claimed Israel had returned all hostages, and said Israeli actions blocked an Iranian nuclear threat.
- Ceremonies highlighted unity and strain in wartime: the Chief Rabbi urged social cohesion, and the IDF’s Hasmonean Brigade held formal rites on base while troops in Lebanon paused operations for improvised remembrances.
- Politics and inclusion stayed contentious, as about 1,000 Israelis and Palestinians joined a joint ceremony reported in Tel Aviv and the West Bank, other initiatives moved online under official pressure, and some bereaved families asked politicians to avoid Mount Herzl events, while civil groups renewed calls for long-term support to widows, orphans and wounded veterans.