This morning (Thursday) the General Staff Forum held a memorial ceremony at the Nahal Oz base to mark two years since the October 7 massacre.
Taking part in the ceremony was Yiska Steinberg, the widow of the former Nahal Brigade commander, the late Colonel Yehonatan Steinberg, who was killed in action during the October 7th massacre.
At 06:29 the General Staff Forum observed a moment of silence in memory of the casualties of October 7 and the Swords of Iron war.
Afterwards, the record of the battle at the base was presented by investigator Colonel Ido Kass.
Later, members of the General Staff Forum took part in a panel moderated by Head of the Human Resources Directorate, Major General Dado Bar Kalifa, titled "Memory, Responsibility, Heroism and Hope", which included Major Bar Zonshtein, who commanded and fought in battles in the Gaza region, Ashira Greenberg, the widow of the late Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Greenberg, who commanded the 13th Battalion, the deputy Nahal Oz sergeant major, Nisan De Kalo, and former hostage Chen Almog.
Chief of Staff Zamir announced at the event that a Decorations Committee for the war will be established. "On this day, we lower our gaze before the failure of October 7 and look forward to our future. We bow our heads to the civilians, commanders and soldiers who sacrificed themselves with bravery. Our commitment is to continue to accompany the bereaved families, the soldiers, the wounded in body and soul, and the survivors of captivity. In addition, we will not rest or be silent until we return the last of the abducted fallen; this is a moral imperative for us."
"Out of our commitment, we conducted inquiries into the battles and presented them to communities. We continue to learn, examine and incorprate the lessons. The IDF will not repeat the mistakes of the past. Out of the rupture and the loss, many stories of heroism have also emerged that we must honor, and therefore we will establish the Decorations Committee."
"Thanks to the relentless fighting of all the commanders and soldiers, we have achieved significant accomplishments that brought us to the current situation and to a position of strength; we are positioned in controlled areas that allow us to return to fighting at any moment if required. The campaign is not over yet - we are ready for many more challenges. It is the IDF's duty to emerge from the past two years toward growth, renewal and hope," Zamir concluded.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Israel Katz addressed the Chief of Staff, requesting his recommendations regarding the awarding of the Medal of Valor to mark extraordinary acts of heroism, courage and exemplary conduct by soldiers or military units that manifested from the massacre and throughout the war.
According to the Defense Minister's decision, the Chief of Staff will submit his recommendations, in line with the work of the Decorations Committee being established in the IDF, within 90 days.
"October 7 was the hardest day for Jews since the Holocaust and the hardest day in the history of the State of Israel. Since then the IDF has acted with bravery and determination on many fronts and has completely changed the strategic balance of power with our enemies. In this difficult war that was forced upon us we have been exposed to extraordinary stories of heroism by soldiers who stood in the breach, fought with self-sacrifice and saved many lives."
"Our national and moral duty is to honor these acts of heroism and to give them the most appropriate official and moral recognition. The Medal of Valor is an extraordinary decoration: only 40 have been awarded since the founding of the State, most recently in 1975, and it will be awarded in this campaign to those who acted under the most difficult circumstances for the defense and existence of the State of Israel," Katz said.