Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Photo: Reuters/Stefani Reynolds

The Office of the President of Israel announced the establishment a new civilian medal, “The President’s Medal for Civilian Heroism,” to be awarded to civilians who showed outstanding heroism on October 7.

“The brutal terrorist attack that happened on October 7, 2023, Simchat Torah, was one of the most dramatic and shocking events in the history of the State of Israel, with unprecedented effects on both the front and the rear. It claimed the lives of over 1,200 Israeli men and women, including hundreds of women and men of the security forces, as well as thousands of wounded and over 200 kidnapped men and women who were held, and most of them are still held, by the murderers of the Hamas terrorist organization,” read the statement by the President’s Office.

The announcement continued, “Along with the unbearably heavy price that the attack exacted, from the very first moments unimaginable and extraordinary acts of heroism were discovered, including those of ordinary citizens, who acted in real time while actually risking their lives, out of a sense of unity of fate and mutual Israeli guarantee, with the aim of saving lives.”

According to the release, the awards will be given by the president in an official state ceremony “to citizens who acted with extraordinary bravery with mutual guarantee and ferocity in order to save human life, and who are not members of the various security forces.” The award will be given even to those who perished and its recipients will be determined by an independent committee of former judges, universities, military leaders, and civic leaders.

Nominations will be made by individuals through a form on the President’s website.