Commendation to be bestowed upon slain Border Police soldiers
Border Police soldiers Master Sgt. Hadas Malka and Staff Sgt. Solomon Gavriya, who were killed in separate terror attacks in 2017, to be recognized for their bravery by the police commissioner; while sacrificing themselves, Malka and Gavriya prevented a far graver outcome.
Border Police soldiers Master Sgt. Hadas Malka and Staff Sgt. Solomon Gavriya, who were killed in two separate terror attacks in 2017, will posthumously receive a commendation from the police commissioner for saving lives and for their professional and determined actions in the line of duty.
Their families will receive the commendation in a ceremony that will take place in October.
Staff Sergeant Solomon Gavriya, 20, from Be'er Yaakov, was killed in September 2017 by an armed terrorist who attempted to infiltrate the settlement of Har Adar in the Jerusalem area during morning rush hour, when dozens of children were on the scene waiting for their school ride.
Gavriya spotted the terrorist and prevent him from entering the settlement.
Two civilian security guards were also murdered in the incident.
Master Sgt. Hadas Malka, 23, was killed when three terrorists armed with semi-automatic weapons and knives mounted an attack in two different parts of Jerusalem's Old City in 2017. Malka was critically wounded and later succumbed to her wounds.
Hadas fiercely fought the terrorist, who stabbed her several times until he was shot dead. According to the investigation of the incident, Hadas fought to her last breath, and by doing so exposed the terrorist's location and stopped the killing spree.
A senior Border Police official said that "apart from the lives that were saved thanks to Hadas and Solomon's courageous actions, they left behind an illustrious battle legacy on which thousands of soldiers serving in the Border Police are educated."
"They are combatants who were a role model in their lives and a model of admiration in their deaths," he added.
"Bestowing the commendations emphaizes again and again that Border Police officers are fighting on the front lines against terror that seeks to harm Israel's citizens," he explained.
Mihrat Gabriya, Solomon's father, said, "We welcome the decision to bestow the commendation upon Solomon."
"We are grateful for the commendation and honor given to our son, whose actions prevented a much more fatal terror attack that could have happened if the armed terrorist had managed to infiltrate the settlement of Har Adar," Gabriya's father added.
Hadas Malka's father, David Malka, was extremely moved when he found out his daughter would receive a commendation from the police commissioner.
"The decision to give our daughter a commendation is an expression of appreciation and a message to society," Malka said. "Hadas is a symbol of leadership, giving, comradeship, persistence, and the love of Jerusalem."
"In Hadas's words—'speaking heart to heart, everything is possible, don't give up, people,'" he concluded.
