Hundreds of mourners gathered Thursday at the Kfar Saba military cemetery to lay to rest Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel, three days after his body was returned to Israel from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Among those attending were senior Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog, Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, former Defense Ministers Yoav Gallant and Benny Gantz, and former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. Also present was Nimrod Cohen, Daniel’s fellow tank crew member and one of the few soldiers to survive Hamas captivity.
Daniel, 19, served in an armored unit stationed at the White House outpost near Kibbutz Nir Oz when Hamas launched its surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023. He was with his crew — Omer Neutra, Nimrod Cohen and Shaked Dahan — when the assault began.
According to the IDF, the tank malfunctioned early in the fighting and was struck soon afterward. A photo of the burning vehicle that circulated on Hamas-affiliated social media showed Daniel’s tank — the only one from which the entire crew was abducted. Daniel managed to escape the disabled tank and continued fighting his captors until his last moments, the army said.
President Herzog delivered an emotional eulogy, calling Daniel and his crew “a team of heroes who defended the residents of the western Negev with their bodies and their spirit.” Herzog praised their courage under fire, saying they “fought with unimaginable bravery against a ruthless enemy” and helped delay the attackers’ advance deeper into Israel.
Addressing Daniel’s mother, Merav, Herzog read from her words: “Oz sacrificed his life defending his homeland. He took the oath of service as a covenant with the state, but I don’t think the state understood that covenant.” Herzog apologized on behalf of the country for the delay in bringing Daniel home, vowing that Israel’s duty “is to never leave any soldier or citizen behind — alive or dead.”
Daniel was declared dead four months after his abduction, following 141 days without any information about his fate.
He is survived by his parents, Merav and Amir Daniel, and his twin sister, Hadar.