Israel began memorial observances Monday marking three years since the October 7 terrorist attack and massacre, with ceremonies honoring the victims and a stark acknowledgment of responsibility from IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.<\/p>\n
In a special order addressed to soldiers, commanders, reservists and civilian employees, Zamir placed the military\u2019s failure at the forefront of his message.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe IDF failed in its supreme mission to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,\u201d he wrote, recalling the breach of Israel\u2019s borders on Simchat Torah in 2023.<\/p>\n
His message combined mourning for those murdered, abducted and killed in battle with a commitment to investigate the failures of that morning, implement lessons and prepare the military for future threats.<\/p>\n
Communities transformed into battlefields<\/p>\n
Zamir described the devastation inflicted on communities across the Western Negev, where familiar landscapes became scenes of violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the wheat fields, the orchards, the homes of the kibbutzim, and the towns of the Western Negev, places where the roots of life and settlement were planted, the enemy sowed fire, ruin, and destruction,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Roads connecting communities became battlefronts, fields turned into battlegrounds, and family homes became sites of massacre and abduction.<\/p>\n
Three years later, he said, \u201can entire nation bows its head in mourning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The order honored civilians murdered in their homes, young people killed after going out to dance, hostages murdered in captivity, and soldiers and members of the security forces who fell in battle. It also remembered members of local rapid-response and rescue teams who rushed to confront the attackers and help those under fire.<\/p>\n
Zamir expressed solidarity with the wounded, those affected by the war and bereaved families, saying the memory of the victims remained a constant reminder of the military\u2019s responsibility.<\/p>\n
Citizens still call for an independent Oct. 7 inquiry, three years after the massacre<\/p>\n
Accountability and the public\u2019s trust<\/p>\n
Alongside remembrance, Zamir emphasized the obligation to examine what went wrong and turn the findings into meaningful change.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is our duty to conduct thorough inquiries and ensure that lessons are implemented, so that we may prove ourselves worthy of the trust the people have placed in us,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
He pledged to preserve the stories of the fallen and use their courage, dedication and camaraderie to educate future generations of soldiers and commanders.<\/p>\n
The chief of staff also paid tribute to the military and civilian response to the attack. He described soldiers rushing into the line of fire, reservists repeatedly leaving their families to serve, and civilian employees working beyond their usual hours to support the war effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the darkest moments, the cohesion and exemplary spirit of Israeli society shone through,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
A pledge to confront emerging threats<\/p>\n
Turning to the campaign that followed October 7, Zamir said the IDF had fought on multiple fronts, defended communities and borders, struck capabilities threatening Israeli citizens, and rescued and brought home hostages.<\/p>\n
He said the military had also adapted its methods to confront evolving threats.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will not allow our enemies to build up their strength unchecked; we will identify threats as they emerge and strike them with determination and might,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Zamir called on troops to carry both the memory of the fallen and the lessons of October 7 into their service, while continuing to strengthen the armed forces and uphold their values.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our duty to the fallen, our responsibility to the citizens of Israel, and our vow to future generations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Flags lowered at the Knesset<\/p>\n
At the Knesset in Jerusalem, national flags in the plaza were lowered to half-mast Monday morning as part of the memorial observances.<\/p>\n
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Director-General Moshe \u201cChiko\u201d Edri and Knesset Security Officer Chief Superintendent Yuval Hen attended the ceremony, accompanied by the Knesset Guard\u2019s honor guard.<\/p>\n
The ceremony brought the anniversary\u2019s message of remembrance to Israel\u2019s parliament as the country honored those lost and reflected on the responsibility to prevent another such catastrophe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Israel began memorial observances Monday marking three years since the October 7 terrorist attack and massacre, with ceremonies…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636720,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[85,46,43],"class_list":["post-636719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}