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What does the Fast of Gedaliah commemorate?

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Circular diagram of the Jewish religious year showing Hebrew months around the outer ring and Gregorian months inside, with major holidays and fasts such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukkah, Passover, and Purim labeled with their dates. — Jewish religious year The months and holidays of the Jewish religious year.

The Fast of Gedaliah is a minor day of fasting in the Jewish religious year that commemorates the assassination of Gedaliah ben Ahikam.12

Following the destruction of the First Temple of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II in 586 BCE, most of the population of Judah was taken into the Babylonian Exile. Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor over the remaining impoverished Jews.12

The fast mourns Gedaliah’s murder at the hands of Ishmael ben Nethaniah, an act that led to the flight of the remaining Jewish population to Egypt. According to tradition, this event marked the end of Jewish self-rule in the region until the return from exile. Observed on 3 Tishri, the day requires fasting from dawn to nightfall and includes specific penitential prayers.123