Israel’s government has designated Sunday, October 27, as the official day of mourning for those killed in last year’s October 7 massacre by Hamas. The double-date discrepancy arises because families of more than 100 hostages are refusing to participate in the state-run memorial, reacting to what they perceive as inadequate support since the “Black Sabbath” of 2023.
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As with the initial ceremony, it was scheduled to begin at 6:29 a.m., the time the onslaught began on October 7, 2023. On that day, 1,200 people were killed, and an additional 251 were taken hostage. Two ceremonies are being held at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery: The first in memory of members of the armed forces and security services who perished, and the second, to be held in the afternoon, to honor the civilians who were killed. Flags across the nation will remain lowered until sunset.
The decision to boycott the government ceremony began with Kibbutz Nir Oz, which lost a quarter of its members during the attack. The kibbutz has maintained a running battle with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for neither visiting the community nor allowing its members to speak at the state ceremony, presumably out of fear the speaker would trash the PM.