The victims of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught are on the minds of everyone marking Israel Memorial Day this year May 12-13, bringing extra grief to the day commemorating fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of terrorism.
The State of Israel’s Twitter/X account posted about the new significance Oct. 7 lends to Israel Memorial Day 2024 as over 130 Israeli hostages have never been released from Hamas captivity.
We bow our heads and remember the 25,040 fallen Israeli soldiers and 5,100 victims of terrorism since our country’s founding.
This Israel Memorial Day is especially hard.
We stand in solidarity with the families of the victims, with our men and women in uniform and promise… pic.twitter.com/R2q6u7rFYw
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) May 13, 2024
Oct. 7 was the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust. Radical Islamic Hamas terrorists burned alive and/or beheaded babies, gunned down whole families, raped to death women, and kidnapped civilians of all ages. The atrocities were so horrific that about 50 survivors of the music festival where Hamas murdered over 360 people have since committed suicide.
Just in the initial Hamas onslaught, 620 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and 62 police were reportedly killed, and more have died or been wounded since in the ongoing conflict with Hamas. While Israel Memorial Day honors fallen IDF soldiers and victims of terror throughout Israel’s modern history, the tragedies of Oct. 7 naturally loom large this year.
The State of Israel also tweeted a post that included an image of what appeared to be a blood-spattered children’s book. Thirty-eight children were among those murdered on Oct. 7.
One picture which tells the entire story.
Today is Israel Memorial Day but for millions of Israelis it’s also October 7.
May the memory of the victims be a blessing.
📸 Aviv Abergel pic.twitter.com/1Gc0P1iXaa
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) May 13, 2024
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Jewish Virtual Library explains what the annual commemoration is:
Established unofficially with the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, and enacted into law in 1963, the day preceding Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) is observed as Yom HaZikaron, the memorial day for soldiers who lost their lives in battle or while otherwise defending Israel…
Perhaps the most widely recognized commemoration during Yom HaZikaron, as on Yom HaShoah, is the sounding of an air raid siren twice during the course of the day. During the two-minute blasts, all activity – including traffic on the highways – immediately ceases. People stand in respect for the sacrifice of those who died defending Israel. The first siren marks the beginning of Yom HaZikaron and the second is sounded prior to the public recitation of prayers in military cemeteries.
Our prayers and thoughts are with the victims of Oct. 7 and other terrorist attacks this Israel Memorial Day, as well as with the soldiers fallen in defense of Israel. May the God of Israel comfort and bless them and bring the hostages and soldiers still facing Hamas jihadis home to their loved ones.