The Israel Press Institute on Sunday awarded the prize for excellence in journalism to the late Roy Edan. Edan was a Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth photographer who was murdered on October 7 in Kfar Aza along with his wife, Smadar, leaving behind 3 children, Michael, Amalia, and Abigail, who was released from Hamas captivity.
As Hamas launched its terror attack, Edan left his home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, near the Gaza border. He managed to photograph the terrorists as they infiltrated his kibbutz using powered paragliders, as well as the missile barrages and intercepts in the area, and sent his final images to the newsroom.
The winners were selected by the prize committee, chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice Dalia Dorner, and included media researcher Dr. Anat Peleg, journalist and commentator Meirav Arlosoroff, and columnist and commentator Nadav Eyal of Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynet.
The committee noted Edan's exceptional coverage of life in the Gaza border communities and the Negev, the Palestinian activities at the border, and every military operation and escalation with Gaza. The committee highlighted that his award underscores the life-threatening dangers of covering the war.
Edan's brother, Amit, accepted the award on his behalf, with their parents, Carmel and Liza, and Smadar's parents, Shlomit and Eitan, in attendance.
Last video from Roy Edan
The prize also was awarded to Yossi Eli from Channel 13 News, Lee Naim from Channel 12 News, and Hagar Shezaf from Haaretz. The four winners will share an award of 50,000 shekels.
"The Institute's Journalism Excellence Award reflects the spirit of our times. We are honoring four brilliant, professional, and courageous journalists for their extraordinary achievements following the events of October 7," Dorner said at the award ceremony.
She emphasized that "a fundamental and essential element of democracy is freedom of expression and the press. Without them, there are no true elections that lead to people's governance and allow for a change of power. Without freedom of expression and the press, there is no liberty, and human dignity cannot be preserved."