President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, opened the commemorations marking the October 7, 2023, massacre on Wednesday morning, at exactly 6:29 a.m., by lighting a memorial candle at the President’s Residence.

The lighting of the candle symbolizes the shared national grief and pain of the State of Israel and its citizens. It is dedicated to the memory of the men and women, infants, children, elderly people, civilians, and male and female soldiers who were murdered or fell in the October 7 terrorist attack and the Swords of Iron War.

Alongside the remembrance of those murdered and fallen, the ceremony is also dedicated to embracing the bereaved families, honoring those wounded physically and emotionally who continue to bear the scars of October 7 and the war, and strengthening the returned hostages and their families as they continue their journey of rehabilitation and recovery.