Israel comes to standstill to mark Memorial Day

JERUSALEM -- Israel came to a standstill on Tuesday evening, commemorating its annual Memorial Day of fallen soldiers and terror victims.

The official memorial day pays tribute to soldiers killed during their military service and wars, as well as the civilian victims of attacks.

The day kicked off earlier on Tuesday afternoon, with a memorial service at the Yad Lebanim memorial for fallen soldiers in Jerusalem.

During the service, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We are not eager for battle but we know our willingness to sacrifice is the guarantor of our fate."

At nightfall, shops and businesses were shut down, as TV channels were broadcasting films about bereaved families and the stories of fallen soldiers, and radio stations playing melancholic tunes.

At 8 pm (1700GMT), sirens were sounded across the country for one minute.

Right after the sirens, the main ceremony at the Western Wall in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem's Old City was held with the participation of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, senior military and police officers, and some bereaved families.

Rivlin said that Israel is committed "to bring back home" every soldier who has been fallen in combat, referring to the recent return of the remains of American-Israeli soldier Zachary Baumel, who went missing in Lebanon in 1982. His remains were brought from Syria to Israel in April amidst a Russian-brokered deal that included the release of two Syrian citizens who had been jailed in Israel.

"We will not cease until they have all been brought back," Rivlin said,.

Multiple other ceremonies and memorial services will be held across the country in the upcoming 24 hours, from late Tuesday to Wednesday evening.

According to official figures, there are 23,741 Israeli soldiers, police officers, security service members, and intelligence agents who have died on duty since 1860, the year in which Jews first established a new neighborhood in Jerusalem.

This year's commemoration of the Day of Remembrance of Fallen Soldiers was marked a week after the Memorial Holocaust Remembrance Day, and ahead of the celebration of Independence Day, which will last from Wednesday evening till Thursday.