Netanyahu vows to achieve 'victory' in Gaza as Israel honours its dead

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to achieve victory in the Gaza war and secure the return of hostages, as Israel remembered its fallen soldiers and civilian victims of attacks.

“In the name of the fallen, and for their sake, we will continue to pursue the mission of victory — including the return of all our hostages”, Netanyahu said in a video statement marking Memorial Day.

At 8:00 pm (1700 GMT), sirens sounded across Israel to mark the start of a minute’s silence in honour of its dead.

The annual day of commemoration has always weighed heavily on Israelis, who have fought numerous wars since Israel’s creation in 1948.

But since Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023 and the ensuing war in Gaza, which has lasted more than 18 months, the day has new meaning for many.

Armed forces chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir too pledged to step up efforts to bring the hostages home.

“Our enemies have misjudged our response,” Zamir said in a speech during the commemorations in Jerusalem.

“So too has Hamas misjudged our determination to bring back the hostages and to defeat it. These two missions are intertwined. We will continue and intensify our efforts until both are achieved.”

Of the 251 hostages seized during the attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 52,365 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Like Jewish religious holidays, Memorial Day is marked from sunset until the following evening, and ceremonies are planned in Israel’s 52 military cemeteries.

It falls the day before Israel marks Independence Day, which will be observed from Wednesday evening.

Palestinians commemorate the creation of Israel as the “Nakba” or catastrophe, marking the expulsion or flight of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.