Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz will both skip tomorrow's state memorial for the 2014 Gaza war, with no other senior minister sent in their stead — a first since the annual ceremony began. A deputy minister will represent the government; both officials will instead attend the IDF officer course graduation in the Negev held at the same hour.
Tomorrow’s state memorial ceremony for the 68 fallen IDF soldiers and six civilians killed during Operation Protective Edge (2014) will be held without a senior cabinet minister for the first time since the annual tradition began 12 years ago, according to a report by Moriah Asraf and Doron Kadosh (N13 / Army Radio).
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who had attended every memorial during his premiership except last year (2025) when he was on a diplomatic trip to Washington — and Defense Minister Israel Katz will both be absent. No other minister was assigned to represent the government; the sole cabinet representative will be Deputy Minister Almo Cohen.
Both the PM and defense minister are scheduled to attend the IDF combat officer course graduation at Bahad 1 in the Negev, which takes place at the same hour. The Zioneer has approached the IDF and Defense Ministry for comment on the scheduling overlap — unusual in past years — but received no response as of 10:29 Jerusalem time.
At the 2024 memorial, Netanyahu was confronted by a bereaved father who blamed him for the fallen soldiers. In previous years he has also faced criticism from grieving families at the event. The Knesset and the Defense Ministry declined to comment on whether any consultation with bereaved families preceded the decision.
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