IDF to start mulling citations for October 7, Gaza fighting, possibly signaling war’s end

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the military will establish a committee to determine whether soldiers should receive citations for their conduct during the October 7 onslaught and during the war, a move that could signify that the army considers the war to be over.

“Out of our commitment, we have conducted investigations of the battles and presented them to the communities. We continue to study, examine, and implement the lessons. The IDF will not repeat the mistakes of the past,” Zamir says during a ceremony at the army’s Nahal Oz base marking the Hebrew anniversary of the onslaught.

“From the collapse and loss also grew many stories of heroism, which we must cherish, and therefore we will establish a citations committee,” he says.

The IDF’s top-level citations have historically been awarded to soldiers only after the conclusion of wars. Some of the medals have been awarded for actions outside of wars.

Defense Minister Israel Katz pens a letter to Zamir asking him to submit recommendations on awarding the Medal of Valor, the highest honor that the IDF can give, for  “exceptional acts of heroism, courage, and exemplary conduct by soldiers or military units that were demonstrated” during the war.

The medal has been awarded only 40 times in Israel’s history, most recently in 1975 for actions during the Yom Kippur War.

“In this campaign, it will be awarded to those who acted under the most difficult circumstances for the defense and existence of the State of Israel,” Katz says.

Katz says that Zamir should submit his recommendations, based on the work of the citations committee, within 90 days.

The IDF’s two other top-level citations are the Medal of Courage and the Medal of Distinguished Service.