On Saturday evening, tens of thousands of Israelis gathered on the central square in Tel Aviv—now Rabin Square—to mark the 30th anniversary of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination. It was the first official memorial event after a five-year hiatus. Previous ceremonies had been canceled due to construction work, restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and logistical challenges amid wartime.

Commemorative rally marking the 30th anniversary of the assassination of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on November 1, 2025. Photo: Erik Marmor / Flash90.

According to organizers, around 150,000 people attended. Speakers included opposition leader Yair Lapid, former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, former hostage Gadi Mozes, former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and other politicians and public figures. During the event, archival footage of Rabin’s last speech was shown, followed by a minute of silence at 9:42 p.m.—the exact time of his assassination on November 4, 1995. Several well-known Israeli artists performed, and the evening concluded with the song Shir laShalom, which Rabin had sung shortly before his death.

In their speeches, the speakers recalled Rabin’s political and military career as well as his role in the peace process of the 1990s. Yair Lapid said Rabin had taught people to take responsibility and work for the common good. Gadi Eisenkot referenced the societal tensions that led to the act and spoke about the importance of unity and mutual respect. Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party, called Rabin’s death “a reminder not to let political differences turn into enmity.”

Former hostage Gadi Mozes, who spent 15 months in Hamas captivity, said Rabin always strove for the return of every single soldier. Photo: Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

Yitzhak Rabin was born on March 1, 1922, in Jerusalem. He joined the Palmach unit of the Haganah in 1941 and served as commander of the Harel Brigade during the 1948 War of Independence. From 1964 to 1968, he was Chief of Staff of the Israeli military and led operations during the Six-Day War. After his military career, Rabin became a diplomat and politician. He served as Israel’s Prime Minister from 1974 to 1977 and again from 1992 to 1995. In his second term, he signed the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians and the peace treaty with Jordan.

On the evening of November 4, 1995, Rabin was shot at the end of a rally on what was then called Kings of Israel Square in Tel Aviv by a far-right Israeli activist, Yigal Amir. The square was later renamed Rabin Square. This year’s memorial was the first official ceremony since 2019. In recent years, only smaller private events had been held due to construction, the COVID-19 pandemic, and security concerns. This year’s event was held under the motto “Remember, Unite, Carry On” and was supported by several civil society organizations. In addition to political speeches, there were musical performances and video clips from Rabin’s life.

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