President Isaac Herzog announced yesterday (Sunday) another group of recipients of the “President’s Medal for Civilian Heroism” – awarded to civilians who demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of danger.
The medal, initiated by President Herzog in response to the acts of sacrifice and human bravery revealed during the events of October 7 and the ongoing war, will be awarded by the President of Israel on September 4, 2025, in an official ceremony at the President’s Residence.
The new group of recipients includes 15 men and women, joining a distinguished line of honorees since the outbreak of the war.
Honor and Recognition
Most of the honorees are being recognized for actions that occurred on October 7, the first day of the war, but some, such as Yuval Kastelman z”l and Melhem Asad, were honored for later events after the advisory committee determined they demonstrated supreme courage and saved lives.
Conversations with the Medal Recipients
The President called the recipients personally to inform them of the honor.
Each conversation was marked by great emotion, deep respect, and appreciation.
These are all the recipients of the “President’s Medal for Civilian Heroism”:
- Aviv Eliyahu z”l – 38, from Elkosh, served as head of security at the Nova festival. He was murdered in the October 7 massacre while fighting terrorists after helping guide partygoers to safety, saving many lives.
- Liron Barda z”l – 26, from Sha’ar Shomron, was the bar manager at the Nova festival. When the attack began, her friends urged her to flee, but she chose to stay and administer first aid to the wounded. Throughout the morning, she stayed in contact with her family, who begged her to escape, but she refused. She did everything she could to save lives until she was murdered.
- Danny Wobek z”l – 45, from Netiv HaAsara, received a message on the morning of October 7 from his friend Oren Stern z”l about terrorists infiltrating the community. He rushed out to fight and, alongside Oren, battled armed Hamas terrorists, managing to repel many. Dani was killed in fierce combat.
- Matan Mordechai Lior z”l – 35, from Sde Hemed, was the owner of the sound system company at the Nova festival. When terrorists stormed the festival grounds, he evacuated his employees, friends, and other partygoers, refusing to leave himself. Many of those who survived owed their lives to his rescue efforts.
- Tomer Eliazar-Arava z”l – 17, from Moshav Kfar Maimon, was at his family’s home in Nachal Oz on October 7 when terrorists broke in, dragged him out at gunpoint, and ordered him to knock on neighbors’ doors so they would open them. Risking his life, Tomer told the terrorists in some cases that the homes were empty, keeping them away from several families. After days of being listed as missing, his body was found.
- Yuval Kastelman z”l – 38, from Mevasseret Zion, a government worker on his way to work, was present at a terrorist attack at the exit from Jerusalem in late November 2023, where terrorists opened fire on civilians at a bus stop. Armed in a nearby vehicle, Yuval got out to engage the terrorists, managing to shoot one of them before tragically being killed by friendly fire.
- Younes Al-Krinawi – 51, a Bedouin citizen from Rahat, saved many young people fleeing the Nova massacre who were hiding on the farm where he worked. When terrorists came searching for them and asked if anyone was hiding there, Younes, risking his life, firmly convinced them he was alone, saving those in hiding.
- Melhem Asad – 36, a Druze citizen from Kisra-Sumei and a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan, traveled to Amsterdam for a game. When riots erupted in the streets targeting Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, he used his fluent Arabic to mislead the rioters and warn other fans, saving many from danger.
- Noam Bonfeld – 28, from Kibbutz Sa’ad, was visiting family in Jerusalem on October 7. When the attack began, he rushed south to fight. Together with other security forces, he entered Kfar Aza, sniping terrorists from a rooftop for hours to save lives and allow continued fighting.
- Gilad Honvald – 45, from Kibbutz Alumim, went out to fight dozens of terrorists while his wife and seven children hid in the safe room. Although not part of the emergency response team, Gilad fought bravely, treated the wounded, and evacuated them under fire to hospitals and collection points.
- Osherit Hadad and Shirel Popkin – Shirel, 24, from Kedumim, and Osherit, 22, from Netivot, friends of paramedic Amit Mann z”l, provided life-saving medical care alongside other medics at a field hospital Shirel set up at the Shuva junction. Dozens of wounded soldiers and civilians were treated by them.
- Eran Massas – 46, from Kiryat Ata, a recently discharged career soldier, put on his uniform and traveled on his own initiative from Kiryat Ata to the Gaza border on October 7 to fight and save lives. In Moshav Patish, he battled terrorists, and at the Nova site, he searched through the carnage for signs of life to administer first aid. He also helped set up a command center for Nova survivors.
- Rabbi Chaim Sassi – 52, from Sderot, head of the Sderot hesder yeshiva and a United Hatzalah medic, left his family in the safe room on October 7 to treat the wounded. At the police station, he helped an injured officer and attempted to rescue another wounded man under fire. Shot in three parts of his body, he continued evacuating and treating the wounded while also tending to himself.
- Matanel Siri – 25, from Rishon Lezion, had just finished his night shift as a security guard on the morning of October 7. Realizing the communities near Gaza were under attack, he decided to head south to assist in the fighting. Together with two friends, he provided extensive aid, helped evacuate the wounded, and fought terrorists.
Arab- Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad highlighted the story of Younes Al-Krinawi, comparing his stout defense of the Jews hiding in house to the “Righteous Among the Nations” who risked their lives to protect Jewish neighbors in the Holocaust.
יונס אלקרינאוי בן ה-51 מרהט הוא אחד מזוכי אות הגבורה האזרחית של נשיא המדינה.
יונס הסתיר בחווה בה עבד קבוצה של 8 צעירים שבילו במסיבת הנובה וברחו משם בזמן הטבח. המחבלים רדפו אחריהם והגיעו לחווה וקראו ליונס “תוציא את היהודים” יונס במשך דקות ארוכות היתל בהם שאין אצלו אף אחד. יונס ממש… pic.twitter.com/6Sb07eMlk4— יוסף חדאד – Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) July 21, 2025
“Younes said that even if 80 young people had come to him instead of eight, he would have protected them all and made sure that anyone who entered his home safely would leave safely”, Haddad recounts. “Younes is a hero of Israel and a model of Israeli solidarity”.
