Israel Commemorates its 76th Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict with Hamas
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israel began its 76th Independence Day with subdued celebrations due to ongoing conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The annual torch-lighting ceremony was pre-recorded and broadcast Monday night, marking the first Independence Day since the escalation of hostilities on October 7.
The traditional torch-lighting ceremony, which transitions from Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, to Independence Day, was pre-recorded this year without a live audience due to security concerns. Typically broadcast live, the event was filmed in advance to possibly avoid the disruptions seen at several Memorial Day ceremonies earlier.
The event commenced with beacon lightings to honor Israelis and foreign nationals killed in the ongoing conflict. Torches were ignited in Zikim, Sderot, and other southern cities, including near Kibbutz Re’im, the site of the tragic loss of 364 attendees at the Supernova music festival on October 7th due to a Hamas attack.
On Sunday, Netanyahu met with the torchbearers, drawing a parallel between the current U.S. arms embargo and a similar situation during the 1948 War of Independence when Arab armies attempted to wipe out the newly formed state of Israel.
“You represent the heroes of the spirit and of action among our people. … In the War of Independence [in 1948], we were the size of a grain of sand—600,000 people along the coast, with our backs to the sea, without weapons,” Netanyahu explained to the honorees.
He continued, “By the way, there was a U.S. embargo then, [we were] without means, and opposite us were five Arab armies—and we won. How did we win? With heroes of the spirit and of action. With the spirit of our people. That was our secret weapon; we have no other weapon. There are, but without this weapon, there is nothing. This is what you represent today.”
The main Independence Day event was further subdued to honor the requests from family members of the 132 hostages currently held by Hamas in Gaza.
In the pre-recorded state ceremony, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana delivered a message addressing the 132 hostages currently detained in Gaza.
“The State of Israel was not there on October 7 in its full strength and power as we all expected it to be, but since then, it has been working every day to return you home to your families,” Ohana said. He added, “all of those serving in the Israeli security forces are fighting tirelessly for your release.”
“All Israelis await your return. All synagogues in Israel and in the Diaspora are praying for your well-being. We will not despair and we will not give up. Do not lose hope,” Ohana stated.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog remarked that Israel’s 76th year has been “marked by enormous pain and loss,” affecting not only the Jewish state but “Jewish communities throughout the world.”
He highlighted the “shocking scale of the re-emergence of antisemitism in so many forms throughout the world” and noted in a video posted online, “There is no question that this year, our Independence Day celebrations are different.”
Despite the past seven months being filled with suffering, Herzog emphasized they have also been a period of significant achievements. “They have reminded us why we rose up from tragedy and found the strength and determination to establish a beautiful and beloved national home — the miracle that is the State of Israel.”
He continued, “They have reminded us, also, of our core qualities, of our power as a people to stand up, again and again, against hatred. To survive and speak our truth. Of our deep and sustaining caring for one another. Of our connection to the call that we have carried across the ages: To do good, to pursue peace, and to repair our fractured world,” he declared.
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