Tel Aviv, Israel As Israel honored dead troops and terror victims on Remembrance Day, sirens sounded around the country Tuesday evening. On the second Remembrance Day during the battle with Hamas, residents lighted remembrance candles and lowered their flags to half-mast.

Amid a commotion sparked by grieving relatives, the administration was compelled to make last-minute changes to prevent controversial ministers from visiting certain regions. They included Likud MK Etti Atia, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Deputy Transportation Minister Uri Maklev, and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir.

“Shame,” “Go home,” profanities, and demands to return the captives home were hurled at government officials at ceremonies in Tel Aviv Netanya, Rehovot, Holon, and Ashdod in 2024.

In addition to citizens murdered in terrorist attacks and other hostile activities, Remembrance Day recognizes those who have served in the military, police, intelligence, security, and correctional facilities. Christians, Bedouins, Arabs, Druze, and other minorities are included in this.

There are 851 dead soldiers whose identities may be released since the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught on southern Israel. The Israel Defense Forces reported just before sunset that 26-year-old Armored Corps Master Sergeant (Res.) Asaf Cafri had died in fighting in northern Gaza.

Since Jews first started to leave the walls of Jerusalem in 1860, 25,417 persons have lost their lives serving Israel and the pre-state Jewish community. Since 1974, 316 troops and 61 injured veterans have passed away from their wounds; these individuals are now officially acknowledged as fallen warriors. Members of pre-state clandestine militias that opposed the British are also included in the figure.

The Defense Ministry said that 1,647 individuals, including 487 parents, 85 widows, 163 orphans, and 912 more family members, were joined to the community of bereaved families in the last 12 months alone. There are 58,617 deceased family members in Israel overall, including 34,250 siblings, 5,391 widows, 10,302 orphans, and 8,674 parents. 5,944 people who have lost loved ones since October 7 are included in this figure.

Additionally, citizens murdered in wars and terror acts are remembered on Remembrance Day. The National Insurance Institute reported that 5,229 individuals, including 800 children and teens under the age of 18, had been killed in wars since 1851, when the first Jewish colonies of the modern period were established.

4,503 of them were slain within the present-day State of Israel. Over the years, terrorist acts have also resulted in the death of 211 foreign people.

Hostilities have claimed 79 additional lives since previous Memorial Day. Of the 934 people dead since the October 7, 2023, Hamas offensive on southern Israel, 778 were slain on that day. There have been 615 men, 319 women, 58 children, and 76 foreign nationals killed in the conflict.

Israeli families have suffered long-term consequences as a result of these assaults. Conflict has left 2,346 parents dead, 6,155 siblings, 1,058 widows and widowers, and 4,753 orphans since 1851. 1,023 orphans, 257 widows and widowers, 2,053 distraught siblings, and 1,143 heartbroken parents were all brought about by the October 7 incident alone.

In the meanwhile, mental health professionals advised troops who needed help or psychological support throughout the day to get in touch with Resilience Centers.

Events on Remembrance Day may arouse complex feelings like grief, anxiety, and even mental discomfort since they recall both individual and societal memories of loss and suffering. The director of the Health Ministry’s Mental Health Division, Dr. Gilad Bodenheimer, said that asking for assistance is a step that helps in coping.

At dusk, Memorial Day officially starts. At 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the country will observe two more minutes of quiet when relatives visit Israel’s graves and rituals are conducted.

The changeover from the solemn Remembrance Day to the festive Independence Day will be marked with a nationally broadcast torch-lighting ceremony at Jerusalem’s Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery on Wednesday at dusk.