Middle East

Israel marks somber Memorial Day with wailing siren

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Students sit on a tank just before a ceremony marking the annual Memorial Day to remember fallen soldiers and victims of terror, at the Armored Corps memorial site in Latrun, Israel, Wednesday, May 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Israeli soldiers and families of fallen soldiers stand still as sirens sound during Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and civilians at the military cemetery in the northern Israeli city of Hadera, Israel, Wednesday, May 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israelis marking Memorial Day have come to a two-minute halt to honor the memory of fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.

Motor vehicles stopped on the highways as a siren wailed nationwide Wednesday at 11 a.m. (0800 GMT), their passengers exiting to stand with heads bowed. Bereaved families visited cemeteries of fallen loved ones and attended memorial ceremonies.

Israel has fought half a dozen wars with neighboring Arab countries, battled two Palestinian uprisings and endured dozens of deadly militant attacks since its founding in 1948. It honors 23,471 fallen soldiers, and the list of slain civilians, over 3,100 long, grew after four Israelis were killed by Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza over the weekend.

At sundown the country transitions from sorrow to celebration and marks its 71st Independence Day.