JERUSALEM—In a powerful gathering at the President’s Residence, Israel’s top civilian and military leaders honored 120 soldiers selected as recipients of the President’s Award for Excellence for the year 5785, in a ceremony reflecting the nation’s unity, resilience, and spirit under fire. The event was attended by President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, who were joined by Israel’s most senior officers representing every major branch and functional command of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The presentation of the President’s Award has become an annual tradition, but this year the context is starkly different. Following the October 7, 2023 massacre—the deadliest antisemitic attack since the Holocaust—Israel entered a broad and multi-front war against Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. This conflict, codenamed the Iron Swords War, continues to reshape Israeli society and demand the highest levels of service, sacrifice, and innovation from its military personnel.
Unified Civil-Military Leadership
The ceremony was meticulously organized, with the nation’s highest officeholders seated alongside the IDF’s operational command. Flanking the President, Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Chief of Staff were senior officials ranging from the Commander of the Air Force to the heads of cyber, intelligence, legal, and ground forces—a clear visual representation of Israel’s commitment to coordinated leadership in defense of its citizens.
The list of attendees included:
– Senior aides and regional commanders responsible for frontline operations
– Experts in cyber defense and intelligence essential to countering Iranian-supplied rocket, drone, and cyber attacks
– Legal advisers ensuring the IDF’s adherence to international law even in the face of severe provocations by enemy forces
– Commanders of the Air Force and Navy, credited for strategic strikes and maritime security critical to blocking arms smuggling and foiling terror plots
Significance of the Award
The President’s Award for Excellence this year stands as a testament to the courage, tenacity, and values of those who have carried the mantle of Israel’s defense through an unusually challenging period. Selected from all branches and levels of the IDF, the 120 honorees reflect the demographic and professional diversity of Israel itself. Many recipients played direct roles in responding to the October 7 massacre, rescuing civilians, combating terrorists within Israeli communities, and leading critical operations inside Gaza against entrenched Hamas cells. Others secured borders in the north against escalating fire from Hezbollah, thwarted Iranian cyber offensives, or upheld Israel’s legal and ethical standards amidst intense asymmetrical warfare.
A Nation Under Threat
This celebration of excellence occurs against the backdrop of an ongoing war. On October 7, 2023, Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists breached Israel’s borders, murdering over 1,200 civilians, inflicting widespread atrocities, and abducting hundreds of innocents as hostages. The attack was marked by systematic atrocities—including mass murder, sexual crimes, mutilations, and kidnappings—forcing Israel into an all-out defensive war. Israel’s military response, ongoing as of the ceremony, spans from intensive operations in Gaza, defensive and offensive actions along the Lebanese border, and strategic efforts to neutralize the growing threat from Iran-backed militias in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
The composition of the honored group—men and women, Jews and non-Jews, reservists and regulars—serves as a living microcosm of Israeli society’s collective resilience and sense of mission. Several awardees narrowly survived attacks or returned to duty after injuries, while others were cited for innovations in technology, logistics, cyber, and medicine that saved countless lives in battle and on the home front.
Leadership Addresses Nation and Honorees
In their respective addresses, the President, Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Chief of Staff emphasized the enormous burden and privilege of service during wartime. They praised not only the heroism of those present but also the deeply embedded values of the IDF—the protection of civilian life, adherence to moral and legal standards, and the determination to defend Israel’s sovereignty against relentless threats. They also paid tribute to the hostages still held captive by Hamas and other terror groups and reaffirmed Israel’s unyielding commitment to secure their release.
Ongoing Commitment to Security and Values
The recognition ceremony highlighted the IDF’s operational achievements to date: precision airstrikes on terror infrastructure, the interception of cross-border arms shipments, the neutralization of high-ranking terrorists, and the ongoing development of Israeli defense systems capable of countering rocket and drone threats. In parallel, the IDF’s legal and medical corps have worked to ensure compliance with international law and the ethical treatment of enemies and civilians—even as Hamas and allied terror groups continue to employ human shields, launch attacks from civilian neighborhoods, and exploit international humanitarian mechanisms for propaganda.
Context: The Broader Conflict
The war against Iranian-backed networks is not confined to Gaza; it extends to the northern border with Hezbollah’s Iranian-directed forces, where repeated rocket, missile, and drone attacks have displaced thousands of Israelis. Iranian proxy militias in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen funnel advanced weaponry toward Israel’s enemies, while Iranian cyber operatives target critical national infrastructure. The ceremony echoed the reality that Israel faces a coordinated regional challenge orchestrated by Iran—one that requires unity, endurance, and innovation at every level of Israeli society and government.
National Resilience and Looking Ahead
The President’s Award for Excellence thus symbolizes more than individual or unit achievements. It represents the nation’s ongoing resilience and readiness. As Israel endures the moral and material tests of a prolonged war imposed by Iran’s axis of terror, the honored soldiers embody a refusal to succumb to despair or division. The ceremony served both as recognition and as a call to continued vigilance—a reminder that the defense of Israel remains an unending, collective enterprise.
As the handshakes, photographs, and applause concluded, the message to Israel’s adversaries and allies alike was unmistakable: Israel will stand united, defend its people, uphold the rule of law and its humanitarian ethos, and honor those who lead by example on the battlefield and beyond. The honored 120 represent not only the legacy of valor but the living continuity of a people unwilling to be cowed by terror, determined to secure freedom and security for future generations.
