hostage

Gelernter leaves behind his four children, Yarden, Asaf, Omer and Ilay, and grandchildren Mia and Roni

Buskila was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on October 7 while she was on the phone with her uncle.

The bodies were retrieved by soldiers in an undisclosed location

Laura Blajman-Kadar was at the Nova music festival on the day of the massacre and managed to hide with her husband and seven friends as they heard gunshots and killing all around them.

The purpose of the project was to raise awareness of the dire situation of the hostages who have been held captive by Hamas for over seven months.

Families of hostages criticize government's silence and lack of communication. They demand transparency and assert their right to be heard.

Mother of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg Polin urged the US for further involvement in hostage negotiations. She also spoke about the suffering on both sides of the conflict.

Mourners yelled out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he spoke at a ceremony on Jerusalem's Mount Herzl, and one man flew an Israeli flag that said "7.10" on it as he spoke.

The official events began on Sunday at 8 p.m., as a one-minute-long siren went off throughout the country, allowing a moment of silence to remember and honor the fallen soldiers.

"Without the hostages there is no Independence," said organizers who invited the public to join them watching the ceremony's live stream from home or from screenings around the country.