TEL AVIV — Former hostage Eli Sharabi and Israeli actress Shani Cohen are slated to host the National Memorial Ceremony of October 7 Families. The ceremony will take place in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.

The ceremony is organized by Kumu, an Israeli grassroots movement. Kumu is dedicated to ensuring that the lessons of October 7 are not forgotten. The ceremony was first held in 2024.

Bereaved families refused to take part in the government’s state memorial ceremony in 2024, citing its failures in the Israel-Hamas War. The ceremony will be broadcast across Israeli and foreign media, and on community programs internationally. The ceremony’s start time and line-up have yet to be announced.

"I am very excited to host this year's national memorial ceremony for the families of October 7," Sharabi said. "I am fulfilling what I promised my wife Leanne, my daughters Noya and Yahel, and my brother Yossi, may their memory be blessed – that they, and what happened to them, will never be forgotten."

Shani Cohen has been involved in supporting families affected by the October 7 attacks. She has accompanied them through the pain of their loss since the event.

Timeline

Also on October 7, 2024, the ceremony was first held in 2024. On February 8, 2025, Eli Sharabi was held in captivity for 491 days during the October 7 attacks, surviving in harsh conditions including continuous hunger, suffocating air, and physical abuse, before being released on February 8, 2025, as part of a hostage deal. On October 7, 2026, the National Memorial Ceremony of October 7 Families will take place in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.

What's New

Later reporting indicates that Shani Cohen, the co-host of the ceremony, has been involved in supporting families affected by the October 7 attacks, accompanying them through the pain of their loss since the event and expressing pride in hosting the ceremony alongside Eli Sharabi. Additional details show that Kumu, the movement organizing the ceremony, was founded by families of Israeli hostages and their relatives, and it has played a central role in shaping the national narrative around the October 7 attacks, especially after rejecting the government's state ceremony in 2024.

It is also noted that the ceremony is an independent, grassroots Israeli national memorial ceremony held annually on October 7, marking the October 7 attacks of 2023. According to reports, Sharabi lost his wife Lianne and daughters Noya and Yahel during the October 7 attacks, and his brother Yossi was also kidnapped and later murdered in captivity, according to an IDF investigation that suggested he may have been killed by his captors. Additionally, Kumu is a movement founded by the families of Israeli hostages and their relatives. The 2026 ceremony will be held in an open-park format at Yarkon Park without grandstands or assigned seating, allowing tens of thousands of attendees, marking a shift from previous years' more restricted formats.

Why It Matters

The 2026 National Memorial Ceremony represents a continuation of an independent commemoration established by bereaved families after they rejected the state-organized event in 2024. By organizing the largest publicly funded memorial event in Israel’s history, the Kumu movement asserts a grassroots approach to national memory. The shift to an open-park format without grandstands allows for tens of thousands of attendees, contrasting with the security-limited attendance of 2,000 in 2024.

The involvement of Eli Sharabi, a former hostage who survived 491 days in captivity, and Shani Cohen, who has supported bereaved families, shows the personal stakes for those directly affected by the October 7 attacks. The ceremony serves as a platform for these individuals to ensure the events are not forgotten, with organizers describing it as a significant element of international public diplomacy. The broadcast across Israeli and foreign media extends the reach of this national commemoration beyond local boundaries.