Shout at Supreme Court chief disrupts memorial ceremony

Documentation of the shout at Yitzchak Amit (Photo: Moshe Aryeh / Kikar Hashabbat)

An unusual moment unfolded Monday at the state memorial ceremony on Har Herzl marking three years since the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war and the events of October 7th. As bereaved families and the nation's leadership gathered to remember the victims, Supreme Court President Justice Yitzchak Amit approached to lay a wreath in memory of the fallen, and was met with a loud outburst from the crowd.

"You don't deserve to lay a wreath," one attendee shouted at him in front of the stunned participants, in what became one of the most striking incidents of the state ceremony. The episode reflects the depth of public divisions over questions of the rule of law, even on a day of national mourning.

Prime Minister Netanyahu delivering his remarks (Photo: Moshe Aryeh / Kikar Hashabbat)

Prime Minister Netanyahu said in his remarks that "even three years after the outbreak of the war, when the State of Israel is stronger than ever, the terrible hours of the Simchas Torah massacre are still seared into us."

He added that "in Gaza there will be no Hamas rule, anyone who was involved in the attack against us and held our hostages is living on borrowed time. Day by day we are settling accounts with these vile murderers."

President Yitzchak Herzog's address at the state memorial ceremony (Photo: Gregory Bado, Recorder: Avner Dvir)

The state ceremony was held with the participation of President Yitzchak Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alongside bereaved families and the nation's leadership. During the ceremony, President Herzog said that "800 meters from Gaza, at the Nahal Oz outpost, sat the lookouts. They were 'the watchers.' They were the eyes of the IDF and of the state."

President Herzog went on to reference writing on the wall of the shelter at the outpost, penned many months before the disaster: "See how she walks in peace, as if Gaza is not beside her." According to him, "in the midst of an election campaign, we must look and watch for the flashing warning lights, those that signal dangerous division and discord."

Prime Minister Netanyahu said in his remarks that "there are still tasks before us — in Gaza there will be no Hamas rule." He made clear that anyone who kidnapped Israelis is living on borrowed time.