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Sunday, April 14, 2013

Remembrance Day: Israel's fallen number 25,578

Note:  For a country Israel's size, this is a horrifically huge number...My heart aches for those families that have had to go on without their loved ones...
Year 2012 sees 92 names added to list of fallen Israelis including 37 soldiers, 12 members of security forces
Published: 04.14.13, 08:13 / Israel News

The number of Israelis who fell while in the line of duty stands at 23,085 on the eve of Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day.

The passing year has seen 92 names added to the list, including 37 Israel Defense Forces soldiers, 12 members of the security forces and 43 disabled IDF veterans. The number of fallen soldiers whose place of burial remains unknown stands at 555.
  
The number of those killed in terrorist attacks stands at 2,493 including 120 foreign citizens. The past year has seen 10 civilians killed in terror attacks. Terror attacks have left 2,848 people orphans, 976 bereaved parents and 799 widows and widowers.

More than a million and a half people are slated to visit the graves of their loved ones on Remembrance Day.

הר הרצל בשבוע שעבר. כאב המשפחות  (צילום: EPA)
Mount Herzl last week (Photo: EPA)

(צילום: רויטרס)
Photo: Reuters

On Saturday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara visited the grave of his brother Yoni Netanyahu who was killed in Operation Entebbe in Mount Herzl.

Remembrance Day events will be launched on Sunday at 4 pm with a state ceremony at Jerusalem's Yad Lebanim Center. A one-minute siren will sound at 8 pm and will be followed by ceremonies across Israel.

President Shimon Peres and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz will attend a ceremony at the Western Wall.

ראש הממשלה ורעייתו במוצאי שבת ליד קברו של יוני נתניהו  (צילום: קובי גדעון, לע"מ)
Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu at Yoni Netanyahu's grave (Photo: Kobi Gideon, GPO)

Another two-minute siren will sound on Monday at 11 am and will be followed by a state memorial ceremony at Mount Herzl in memory of the 1,396 fallen police officers.

בהר הרצל (צילום: רויטרס)
Mount Herzl (Photo: Reuters)

(צילום: EPA)
Photo: EPA