Israelis stood still and flags flew at half-mast on Sunday as the country marked an especially painful Memorial Day after the October 7 attack. At 8pm local time, sirens sounded across Israel, prompting a minute’s silence in honour of its fallen soldiers and civilian victims of attacks. Memorial Day comes before Israel’s 76th Independence Day on Tuesday, when Israelis celebrate the creation of their state. Palestinians remember the creation of Israel as the “Nakba”, or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands of people were forced from their homes or fled.
