On Sunday evening, Israeli President Isaac Herzog emphasised Israel's will to assert itself on the annual day of remembrance for the country's fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.
"I remind us and the entire world: we never wanted nor chose this terrible war. Not this one nor its predecessors," he said at the central ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. "But as long as our enemies seek to destroy us, we will not lay down our swords."
At the beginning of the ceremony, a minute's silence was observed after the wailing of sirens to honour the war dead. Herzog wore a torn shirt collar - torn clothing is a Jewish symbol of mourning.
"As the commander of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] during war, I bear the responsibility for the failure to defend our civilians on October 7. I carry its weight on my shoulders daily, and in my heart," Israeli Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi said in his speech.
Addressing the family members, he said: "I am the commander who sent your sons and daughter into the battle from which they never returned, and to the posts from which they were taken hostage."
Relatives of the hostages gathered in front of the army headquarters in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening. Many of them carried lit candles, others held signs reading "We want no more graves."
An association of grieving Israeli and Palestinian families organized its own event on Remembrance Day, which focused on the hope for peace and reconciliation.
"We need to change the reality to create a better future for our children," said a Palestinian woman who lost her brother in the Gaza war.
"How many more generations of grief will it take before we are free of this?" said the son of Vivian Silver, the well-known peace activist who was killed on October 7.
"We all need to realize that the occupation, October 7, the war in Gaza, Jewish and Arab terrorism, all political violence is not our destiny."