A rehearsal of the ceremony for Israel’s Independence Day is being aired on Wednesday evening.
The initial planned live ceremony was cancelled earlier in the day due to the raging fires across Israel.
Instead of the event, the footage from rehearsals has been broadcast.
Freed hostages take part in the ceremony
One of the opening performances was of freed hostage Agam Berger playing the violin.
Freed hostage Emily Damari spoke at the event and lit a torch as part of the annual torch-lighting ceremony.
Rachel Edri from Ofakim, who famously used food to distract the terrorists who infiltrated her home during the October 7 Hamas attacks, dedicated her speech to her husband.
Edri also thanked Israel for supporting her, stating, “I want to tell you, dear audience, that I love you very much.”
Ben Shapiro lights torch
American commentator Ben Shapiro also lit a torch at the event.
“I light this torch in honor of Israel,” Shapiro stated.
British barrister and lawyer Natasha Hausdorff followed Shapiro in lighting a torch at the ceremony.
Three Mossad operatives who led the beeper operation in Lebanon were selected to be part of the torch lighting and stood together wearing masks to hide their identity.
An audio recording was played, which concealed their voices, in which they expressed their gratitude for the country’s advanced technology that “provided them with the ability to protect the country.”
The cancellation of the ceremony
Following discussions on the subject on Wednesday, the live torch-lighting ceremony was canceled due to forecasts of strong winds.
A major fire broke out in the Judean Hills during the morning and has spread throughout various areas in Israel.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has been conducting a “marathon” of calls with international counterparts for aid, with an emphasis on European countries.
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