Druze Oct. 7 hero foregoes Independence Day torch-lighting: I'm being threatened

Nasrin Yosef, a Druze-Israeli woman who interrogated Hamas terrorists on October 7, decided to forgo her position as an Independence Day torch-lighter.

The annual torch-lighting ceremony is the official ceremony that marks the closure of the Remembrance Day commemorations and the opening of the Independence Day celebrations in Israel.

Yosef, who interrogated terrorists in her home on Moshav Yated during the October 7 massacre, told the torch-lighters selection committee that she has decided to forego the position due to threats she has been receiving.

Yosef wants to protect her family

“I believe there are people who deserve more than me, and I want to protect my family and myself,” she told N12. “I did not do what I did to light a torch. It is an honor to light a torch in Israel, but my husband and I decided to give it up, and we are grateful for the honor that has been given to us.

“This is our country, and we will continue to protect it regardless of whether we light a torch,” she concluded. “What I did was out of a desire to help.”

The list of the annual torch-lighters for Israel’s Independence Day ceremony – conducted on the eve of Independence Day as Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars and Victims of Terrorism comes to a close – was released to the public this past Thursday. It included a vast array of October 7 heroes, including fighters from across Israel’s defense systems, civilians protecting their cities, and emergency health professionals.