Sirens sound as Israel commemorates Holocaust

Israel came to a standstill yesterday as sirens echoed across the nation in tribute to the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II.

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At 10am local time, Israelis observed two minutes of silence for their Holocaust Remembrance Day, with traffic halting, pedestrians standing still, and daily life pausing in symbolic honour of all those who perished.

The commemoration, held each year in April or May in accordance with the Hebrew calendar, is separate from International Holocaust Remembrance Day which is marked on Jan 27.

The official ceremonies began Wednesday evening with a state event at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, attended by President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and other senior officials.