Israel starts commemorating Holocaust victims with wreath-laying ceremony

Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during the commemoration of Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, on April 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Israel on Wednesday started commemorating its annual Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day with an official wreath-laying ceremony at the country's Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem.

The ceremony began at nightfall. Holocaust survivors lit six torches in memory of the 6 million Jews who died at the hands of Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II.

Addressing the gathering, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew a connection between the Holocaust and current geopolitical threats. He stated that Israel would continue exerting "military pressure on Hamas," destroy all of its capabilities, and "prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons."

Remembrance activities will continue through Thursday. At 10:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT), a nationwide two-minute siren will sound, bringing the country to a standstill in honor of the victims. Other memorial events are scheduled to take place in schools, workplaces, and public institutions across Israel.

Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics announced Monday that there are about 120,000 Holocaust survivors and victims of antisemitic persecution during World War II currently living in Israel, 62 percent of which are women.

This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Soviet army's liberation of Auschwitz, which exposed the full scale of the Nazis' extermination plan against Europe's Jewish population.