JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is honoring its fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism on its annual Memorial Day.

Sirens wailed across the country at 8 p.m. Sunday prompting Israelis to stop in their tracks and stand silently with heads bowed for a minute to remember the dead.

It is one of the most somber dates on Israel's calendar. People visit cemeteries and attend ceremonies. Places of entertainment shut and TV and radio stations air war stories and melancholy music.

It comes amid a wave of Palestinian attacks that killed 42 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British student since 2015.

In that time, Israeli forces killed some 244 Palestinians, mostly identified as attackers by Israel.

The sad atmosphere of the day ends abruptly at sundown Monday when in jarring contrast Independence Day celebrations begin.