The 21st alternative Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony in Jaffa begins, conducted in both Hebrew and Arabic and featuring both Israelis and Palestinians who lost loved ones in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in Israel, the war in Gaza, and ongoing settler violence in the West Bank.
The ceremony has been held annually for two decades alongside Israel’s official ceremonies on the Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror. It is organized by the left-wing group Combatants for Peace and by the Parents Circle – Families Forum, a grassroots organization of bereaved Israelis and Palestinians who have lost family members to the conflict.
Palestinians participate in a parallel ceremony in the West Bank city of Jericho, unable to reach Jaffa due to the denial of entry permits by Israeli authorities.
The exact location of the Jaffa ceremony was not publicly disclosed to attendees in advance due to security concerns, particularly after a right-wing mob last year attacked a synagogue in Ra’anana that was hosting a screening of the event. The mob threw rocks, shouted racist slogans, spat at participants, and forced police to evacuate the venue.
Speakers include Liora Eylon, a survivor of the October 7 massacre at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, whose son Tal commanded the kibbutz’s emergency response team.
“Today I am here because this is the place of hope. Here is a place that gives me the strength to believe that one day we will talk, and it will end,” she says.
In a pre-recorded video, Kholoud Hushiah of Jenin speaks about the loss of her son, Mohammed, who was killed by IDF fire in 2023, which prompted her to join the Parents’ Circle.
“Despite all this pain, I stand here today to say: we chose the path of peace, despite all the losses, because we believe that blood brings only more blood, and that death and loss will never allow us, or our children, to live in peace,” says Hushiah.
Nahil Jamil Hanouna, a photographer from Gaza who lost her siblings and extended family in the war in Gaza, says in a pre-recorded video: “We Palestinians are human beings like everybody else. We want to live freely and in peace. We were created to build this world, not destroy it.”
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