Israel's Hostage Families Forum boycotts 7 October state memorial ceremony

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has announced it will boycott the Israeli government's state memorial on the anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attack, the Times of Israel reported. 

“The Hostage Families Forum will join with border communities and towns on the Gaza border and south to mark the anniversary of the massacre, to demand the restoration of security, the return of the abductees, the restoration of the communities and the investigation of the failures that led to the terrible disaster on October 7, 2023,” the forum said in a statement.

The group plans to hold an alternative ceremony in the Gaza border towns.

Meanwhile, National Unity chair Benny Gantz has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to shift responsibility for the memorial ceremony from Transportation minister Miri Regev to the impacted communities.