Less pomp, more pain: Israel marks annual Memorial and Independence Days differently

In the shadow of an ongoing war and hostages held in Gaza for over 220 days, Israel's annual Memorial and Independence Days were pain-filled occasions.

Every year, the Independence Day (Yom Haatzmaut) torch lighting ceremony is considered an honour, as well as a source of petty politicking. In a year which saw much civic heroism, many were loathe to participate in official celebrations.

Survivors from Gaza border communities and celebrities including Idan Amedi – the Fauda actor and reserve soldier who was wounded fighting in the war – declined invitations to bear the national torch. 

In one recent poll, 56% of Israelis said Yom Haatzmaut should be restrained this year. With residents still displaced from communities in the south that Hamas destroyed on October 7; those in the north under threat from Hezbollah; and growing international criticism from even Israel’s best friend, the United States – there seems little to rejoice.

The annual Memorial Day (Yom Hazikaron) ceremony at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl military cemetery on Monday was also noticeably bitter. Israel added the names of 826 people from the security forces to its list of the country's fallen this year, along with 834 victims of terrorist attacks – almost all of them from the October 7 Hamas attacks and the war in Gaza that has followed.

Faced with the human cost of his current war, Netanyahu offered a reminder of why he was asking families to pay it: "It's either us - Israel; or them - the monsters of Hamas.