In addition, 84 disabled veterans passed away due to injuries sustained during service, taking total to 24,068; official numbers published ahead of commemoration events

Perpetrators steal and set alight flags and garlands following Israel's Memorial Day; police probing as Netanyahu decries 'horrifying' act, IDF chief calls it 'disgusting'

An idealistic lone soldier from the US, he was killed in Lebanon in 2006, and has become an Israeli icon and inspiration. His friends don't quite know what to make of it all

PM interrupted during memorial address after saying he plans to approve national commemoration hall for terror victims once he forms 'next government'

Religious officials, Jerusalem's mayor and interior minister participate in the ceremony along with member of Netzah Yehuda, a Haredi battalion

The radical shift from Memorial Day to Independence Day isn't automatic. It requires respect, care and attention for those whose lives were wrecked in our defense

Two-minute siren commemorating 23,928 troops and victims of terror brings country to a halt; Netanyahu at ceremony: 'Never remain complacent in the face of threats of annihilation'

Three Israelis -- two civilians and one soldier -- were killed in violent attacks since last year

Memorial Day is a poignant date to visit the Mahal monument and grounds, in the verdant Judean Hills west of Jerusalem, dedicated to those who gave their lives for the state

Over 200,000 watch controversial ceremony, with small in-person gatherings in Tel Aviv and Bethlehem; participants from both sides of the conflict call for peace