Israeli soldiers stand by a wall with names of fallen soldiers on Memorial Day, when Israel commemorates its fallen soldiers, at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem May 4, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

i24 News – On Wednesday morning, Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz held a speech at the name reading ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, commemorating Israel’s fallen soldiers.

Gantz commenced the ceremony by mentioning all IDF soldiers killed this year.

“As public leaders, we have a responsibility to set aside disputes related to bereavement and Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day), and simply embrace and remember the fallen. Israeli society deserves one issue that we will all treat reverently,” he stated.

He added that the “massive” price paid by those left behind and the Israeli society is also “our driving force to continue to live, to do good, to repair, to come together, to preserve camaraderie and mutual responsibility,” he said, ending his speech by thanking the bereaved families.

“[You] are the ones who paid the price for our resistance and existence. We will embrace them in our hearts, and thus we will protect Israeli society, heritage, memory, and unity.”

Israel’s Memorial Day officially began at 8 pm Tuesday night with the sound of the siren for one minute, followed by a ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City.

On Wednesday at 11 am, a two-minute siren sounded across Israel, followed by memorial services at Israel’s 52 military cemeteries.

The national holiday honors fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism a day before celebrating Independence Day, which this year is the Jewish state’s 74th.