Gad Fartouk, 93, prays for 59 hostages in Gaza before lighting a torch at Israel’s Holocaust memorial ceremony marking 80 years since Nazi defeat.
Holocaust survivor Gad Fartouk, 93, lit one of six memorial torches at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem on Wednesday night during Israel’s official state ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Held on the eve of Yom HaShoah, the event honored the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and resonated deeply this year as the nation continues to grapple with the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre and the ongoing hostage crisis.
Before kindling the flame, Fartouk offered a heartfelt prayer: “May all the hostages come home soon. Amen.”
Image - A ceremony held at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem, as Israel marks the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day. April 23, 2025. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90. Video - Eylon Levy/X