Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the bereaved families in a special column published in the Israel Hayom paper on Memorial Day.
"This year we uphold the memory of our sons and daughters, the praiseworthy heroes, in the midst of the fight against the coronavirus. It is a new kind of enemy, but with the help of G-d we will defeat it. We will do so with determination, courage and national cohesion," Netanyahu wrote.
"I know how hard it is, because I, like you, would be at the grave of my brother, of blessed memory, as you would have been at the graves of your loved ones, but this year we will remember them in many other ways on this day - in stories, songs, movies, candle lighting, online meetings and above all - In our hearts. "