Peres Center Honors Women Heroes of Oct. 7 With Medal of Distinction

The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation announced on Wednesday it will award the Medal of Distinction to 20 women and groups for their bravery and leadership during the events of Oct. 7 and the subsequent days. The awards, to be presented in a ceremony on Feb. 28, 2024, in Jaffa, recognize contributions across various sectors including journalism, acting, philanthropy, and military service.

Among the awardees are Ilana Dayan, a veteran journalist; Noa Tishbi, an actress and presenter; philanthropist Batya Ofer; and Brigadier Generals Shifra Buchris and Shoshana Mali. A special recognition will also be given to all women taken captive on Oct. 7, honoring both those who have returned and those still held.

The ceremony aims to highlight the courage, initiative, and resilience of women who have made significant impacts on the battlefield, the home front, and throughout Israeli society amidst the ongoing conflict. Director of the Peres Center Efrat Duvdevani said in a press release: “This marks the fourth year in which the Peace and Innovation Center honors our unique Medal of Distinction award to influential, trailblazing women who inspire change.

“This year’s ceremony will shed light on the bravery, initiative, selflessness, and resilience demonstrated by heroines throughout 2024 since October 7, across a wide spectrum of fields—from civilian initiatives to medicine, education, and international law, to aiding the families of captives, locating missing individuals, and beyond.”