The three traveled from their home to confront Hamas militants during the massacre in Kibbutz Be'eri near the Gaza Strip, during which Elhanan was killed on the morning of October 8.
On the morning of 7 October 2023, during the holiday of Simchat Torah, the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant organizations launched a surprise attack on Israel.
After the outbreak of the October 7 attacks, brothers Elhanan and Menachem Kalmanson and their nephew Itiel Zohar traveled from their home in Otniel to Kibbutz Be'eri near the Gaza Strip.
At 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, they encountered a militant dressed in black who was hiding in the corner of one of the houses and opened fire on Elchanan with a burst of bullets.
The justification for the award stated: "Menachem Kalmanson, his late brother Elchanan, and their nephew Itiel Zohar left their home in Itamar on Simchat Torah to save the lives of residents of the communities in the Gaza Strip area.