Israel Hamas War: Israelis to receive award for public service leadership, Canadian Security Forum announces

A Canadian security forum will present an award Saturday to the Israeli people following the Hamas incursion into the country, which left nearly 1,200 people dead and 240 abducted.

Following the death of US Senator John McCain in 2018, the Halifax International Security Forum presents an award in his honor "to individuals of any country who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the pursuit of human justice".

Israeli people will get rewards

The forum, which attracts military officials, United States senators, diplomats and scholars, announced the decision in a statement late Friday.

The statement said that on the 75th anniversary of the creation of Israel and in the wake of the October 7 attacks, which resulted in the greatest loss of life to the Jewish people since the Holocaust, it is appropriate to present an award in Senator McCain's name.

McCain was a regular at the forum, and his wife, Cindy McCain, was on hand to present awards to representatives of Brothers in Arms.

The group began as a protest movement against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but transformed itself into Israel's largest non-governmental aid agency to help people affected by the latest Israel-Hamas war.

More than 11,000 people lost their lives in Gaza

The conflict began on 7 October when militants in Gaza crossed into Israel and killed at least 1,200 people and abducted 240 others.

Israel has launched a war that has killed more than 11,000 people in Gaza, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled territory, who do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

"Following the attack on Israel, we put politics aside and immediately came to the aid of our fellow citizens," Brothers in Arms representative Eyal Naveh said in a statement.

Democracy is fragile, it requires constant vigilance and attention. We are a team that works, so when the Israeli people needed us most, we answered the call.

Previous winners of the John McCain Award for Leadership in Public Service include the people of Hong Kong for fighting for their rights in the face of oppression by the Chinese government and the people of Lesbos, Greece, for their brave actions to rescue refugees .

Leaders of democracies, including former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, will participate in a discussion Saturday in Halifax, Nova Scotia, ahead of a three-day conference on global security.

This year, the forum focuses mainly on the Ukraine war, but the fight between Israel and Hamas is also a major discussion topic.