JERUSALEM — On Monday, October 5, 2026, Israel observed its National Memorial Day marking three years since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacre. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a state address at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, according to France 24.

The ceremony honored fallen soldiers and security personnel who died in what the Israeli government now formally calls the “War of Redemption” (Milhemet HaTkuma), as well as civilians killed in the attack, which remains the deadliest day in Israel’s history.

A day that begins at the minute of the attack

The national day of remembrance opened at 6:29 a.m., the exact time the October 7 attack commenced, with flags lowered to half-mast on public buildings across Israel. The state ceremony took place in Mount Herzl’s “Great Leaders of the Nation” section, as France 24 reported.

The memorial follows the Hebrew calendar date of the tragedy. It represents Israel’s formal institutionalization of October 7 remembrance alongside the traditional Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron) for fallen soldiers, per the Jerusalem Post.

What Netanyahu said

The Prime Minister’s remarks touched four themes. Select a tab to read each; all statements below are Netanyahu’s own claims as reported by the cited outlets.

“We mourn not only what was—but also what will no longer be.”Chaim Habshoush, father of fallen Armored Corps fighter Naveh Habshoush, quoted by Netanyahu

The “threefold ring of fire”

Netanyahu described what he called Iran’s “threefold ring of fire”: terrorist proxies, thousands of missiles, and nuclear weapons intended to eliminate Israel. The diagram below shows the three layers as he framed them. Tap a ring to read more.

Remembering the fallen

The speech opened and closed with tribute to bereaved families. “My distinguished guests, and foremost among you, my brothers and sisters in the bereaved family,” Netanyahu began.

He named Colonel Asaf Hamami, commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Division, who fell on October 7, and Major (res.) Harel Birnstock, who died two months earlier in southern Lebanon. He also praised wounded fighter Naveh Rosenfeld of the Oketz Unit, who lost a leg in Gaza, continued rehabilitation and proposed to his girlfriend.

Netanyahu stressed unity across communities, recounting how a Druze soldier saved a wounded comrade’s life in Gaza and saying Israel’s resilience rests upon “Jews, Druze, Christians, Muslims, Bedouin, Circassians, and members of other communities” (JNS).

A name, and a note of caution

The government’s official English translation renders the war’s name as “War of Redemption,” though some Hebrew media reported it as “War of Revival,” since Milhemet HaTkuma can be translated either way. The terminology reflects the government’s framing of the conflict as a struggle for national survival and renewal.

President Isaac Herzog also spoke, warning that Israel “cannot ignore internal, external signs of trouble.” Some interpreted the remarks as hinting at the need for accountability over the failures of October 7, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Sources and further reading