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The proposal sets the observance for the 24th of Tishrei – after the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah.
By Shula Rosen
The Knesset advanced legislation on Wednesday to formally establish an annual national memorial day for the October 7 attacks, approving the proposal in its first reading with 18 lawmakers voting in favor and none opposed.
The measure now moves to committee deliberations before returning for the two additional votes required for final passage.
Lawmakers backing the bill said the effort aims to enshrine the commemoration of the massacre as a permanent element of Israel’s civic calendar.
The proposal sets the observance for the 24th of Tishrei – after the holiday of Simchat Torah, on which the Hamas infiltration occurred. If that date coincides with Shabbat or a Friday, commemorations would shift to the following Sunday. The plan received support from both coalition and opposition members.
According to the draft legislation, the memorial day would include official state ceremonies, a Knesset session dedicated to remembrance, and the lowering national flags at government institutions to half-staff.
Until a new administrative structure is formed, the Prime Minister’s Office would coordinate national events, archival efforts, and ceremonial arrangements related to the attacks.
A major component of the proposal calls for the creation of a Commemoration, Memory, and Heritage Authority charged with developing and managing the country’s long-term remembrance efforts. The authority would oversee state activities honoring those murdered on October 7, fallen security personnel, and former hostages who were killed.
Its responsibilities would also include gathering and preserving testimony, curating historical records, and strengthening public awareness of the events both domestically and internationally. Cooperation with other remembrance institutions is also envisioned.
The plan further includes establishing a memorial site and museum in southern Israel, near the communities where Hamas carried out the massacre. Supporters say a permanent physical space is necessary to document the events and serve as a national point of reflection.
Debates about how to commemorate the attacks have persisted since the first anniversary, when bereaved families and survivors held an independent memorial after declining to attend the government-led ceremony.
The new proposal seeks to create a unified national framework after those divisions, aiming to place future commemorations under a single state authority once the bill completes its legislative process.
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