Israelis today marked Holocaust Remembrance Day amid war with a nationwide minute of silence as a mark of respect about the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust, reported the Israeli news agency TPS, quoted by BTA.
Special Holocaust ceremonies were held in schools, lawmakers read names aloud in the Knesset, and television broadcast films and documentaries about the “Shoah”, as the Holocaust is called in Hebrew. A nationwide minute's silence began at exactly 10:00 a.m.
But the war with “Hamas“ and the fate of the 133 hostages remain in the foreground.
During a wreath-laying ceremony at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial and museum, a disgruntled citizen called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign.
In a video of the ceremony circulating on social media, the man shouted at Netanyahu: “We must not descend into the abyss again. What else do you need to get going? May the people of Israel remember their abandoned sons”, referring to the hostages that “Hamas” holds in Gaza.
Speaking at the ceremony, Netanyahu drew a parallel between the attack by “Hamas” of October 7 and the Holocaust.
„Let me be clear, a terrorist attack is not a holocaust, but not because the intent was different. It's the same. “Hamas“ is driven by the same goals as the Nazis”, Netanyahu said.
Vowing to return the hostages home, Netanyahu added: “We are determined to end this ongoing threat. We will fight against the monsters of “Hamas” until the organization is eradicated. I say monsters, not only because of their cruel actions, but also because they enjoy them”.
Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog drew attention to Holocaust survivor Alex Danzig, who is among the captives in Gaza.
75-year-old Danzig was born in Warsaw and settled in Kibbutz Nir Oz. About 180 of the kibbutz's approximately 400 residents were killed or kidnapped on October 7. He works as a historian and lecturer at Yad Vashem. Danzig often collaborates with Israeli tour guides who lead annual school trips to concentration camps in Poland.
Holocaust Memorial Day marks the anniversary of the start of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising according to the Jewish calendar. The Nazi Holocaust was carried out through genocide, forced labor, starvation, mass shootings and extermination camps.
At least 1,200 people were killed and 240 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in the attacks by “Hamas” against Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. It is believed that about 30 of the 133 hostages are already dead.