The Defense Ministry reported over the weekend that 59 Israeli soldiers had died in the line of duty since the previous Memorial Day, and 86 disabled veterans had passed away due to their condition.
Since 1860, 24,213 soldiers have died while serving their country.
Israel will observe Memorial Day this year starting Monday night when a one-minute siren will blast nationwide.
Over the next 24 hours, memorial services will be held at 52 military cemeteries and memorial locations, with the signing ceremony at Jerusalem’s Western Wall.
The main event will feature remarks by President Isaac Herzog and Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.
A two-minute siren will sound on Tuesday at 11 a.m., followed immediately by an air force flyover of the Memorial Hall at Mount Herzl.
There will then be a second state ceremony with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu present.
Israeli television will begin airing the names of the deceased troops at 8:45 p.m. On the Izkor website and from April 24 through the next day.
On Thursday, Netanyahu urged people to set aside their disagreements for the day as the nation mourns its heroes, especially about the discussion surrounding the government’s judicial reform program.
We shall focus our attention on the military areas of the graves in a few days. Each grave marker there tells the tale of a tragically cut-short life.
At this time, the cemetery’s collective silence in bereavement shouts out to us. We must stand together for them, unified, to be worthy of their sacrifice, added Netanyahu.
“Our loved ones who fell, our loved ones who paid for our renewal with their lives, did it for us.
“Our democracy has recently witnessed a critical debate, but at this time, I ask all elected officials from both the right and the left to put the discussion on hold, to leave it outside the cemeteries, and to permit the bereaved families, all of us, to be in silence with the memory of our loved ones.
He continued that we all deserve to live through these moments with the entire Israeli population unwaveringly supporting our warriors.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and leader of the National Unity Party Benny Gantz made the unusual appeal for politics to be excluded from the special day.
Tuesday night marks the end of Memorial Day and the beginning of Israel’s 75th Independence Day.
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