The wail of air raid sirens has sounded across Israel as the country came to a standstill in tribute to six million Jews who perished at the hands of the Nazis in the Holocaust, Belfast Telegraph reported.

For two minutes on Thursday April 19 morning, pedestrians stopped in their tracks and motorists stood next to their vehicles, heads bowed. In homes and businesses, people suspended their daily tasks to pay homage.

The day is one of the most solemn on Israel's calendar. Restaurants and places of entertainment shut down, and radio and TV programming focuses on Holocaust documentaries and interviews with survivors.