Jerusalem, 19 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The “Salute to the Fallen” ceremony, jointly held by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), the Ministry of Defense, and other security organizations, in which the Israeli flag is placed on the graves of those who died in Israeli service, took place today (Sunday) on Mount Herzl, Israel’s national military cemetery in Jerusalem.
The ceremony is held ahead of Israel’s annual Memorial Day, which begins Tuesday night, one day before Israel celebrates its Independence Day.
As every year, the ceremony and the placing of the flags on the graves of the fallen open the Memorial Day Events.
From the end of the ceremony on Mount Herzl until the start of Memorial Day for the fallen IDF and the fallen in Israeli systems, a national flag, a flower, and a memorial candle will be placed on the grave of each of the fallen, at all military cemeteries around Israel as well as graves of the fallen at public cemeteries.
The ceremony was held in the presence of the IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Head of the Shin Bet, Mr. David Zini, the Head of the Mossad, Mr. David Barnea, the Commissioner-General of the Israel Police, Danny Levy, and other senior officers in Israel’s various security services.
“In these moments between remembrance and resurrection, our commitment to the memory of the fallen is sharpened and clear,” said the IDF the Chief of Staff. “Every flag that is placed on the graves of our fallen until the eve of Memorial Day is a sign of the love of a people that has waited so long for the safe return of its soldiers from the battles, that has borne the pain of loss and longing since they did not return.”