‘Do everything with a smile’: Farewell to Maj. David Shakuri, the fighter who fell defending his country
Maj. David Shakuri, a deputy battalion commander in the IDF Combat Engineering Corps, was a true winner who treated everyone as an equal. He lived his life and carried out his military service with humility and boundless devotion to his soldiers, his family and his country.
On Feb. 6, 2024, during a critical mission to uncover terror tunnels in the Gaza Strip, David was shot by a sniper and fell in battle. He was 30, leaving behind a legacy of values, an unforgettable smile and a loving family.
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David’s story begins as the firstborn son of Gabriela, who immigrated to Israel from Argentina four years before he was born. “He was a child who went with the flow of life, and I went along with him,” his mother recalls wistfully. Even in kindergarten, his distinctive qualities were already apparent: He was intelligent, diligent, attentive and sociable, with an extraordinary emotional intelligence that seemed innate.
From the age of 6, David pursued an impressive athletic career as a competitive tennis player and became one of the best players in Israel. Despite his achievements, which included matches abroad, he remained remarkably humble.
His mother remembers a grueling two-and-a-half-hour match in which his opponent nearly collapsed, while David kept fighting until the very end. When it was over, he warmly embraced his opponent. “He knew how to lose with dignity, and he always treated the other person as an equal,” she says.
When the time came to enlist, David chose to become a combat soldier, joining the Combat Engineering Corps in November 2011. He was not driven by dreams of serving in an elite commando unit, but by a simple and powerful desire to contribute.
He rose quickly through the ranks, completing a squad commanders course and officers course before taking his first command position as commander of a heavy engineering equipment platoon in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
David served in nearly every position possible within the corps, and his greatest ambition was to come full circle as a battalion commander. His friend Michael recalls with a laugh: “I always said he wouldn’t leave the army until he was 50. That was just the kind of person he was.”
David’s command style was a direct reflection of his personality: straightforward, unpretentious and free of artificial distance between commander and soldier. His widow, Dafna, whom he met while they were studying after a chance WhatsApp message about a missing signature, says proudly: “He looked soldiers in the eye. Whether he was speaking to his battalion commander or to the most junior soldier, he truly treated them as equals.”
Yarin Cohen, his former military aide, describes a commander who put himself aside for the sake of others, always placed his soldiers first and watched over them with the utmost care amid the intense pressures of combat.
His mother, Gabriela, adds emotionally: “He was a commander like a father. Women who served with him in Gaza told me that if it hadn’t been for him, they wouldn’t have stayed there. And he did it all with such humility, ‘Mom, everything is fine. Don’t worry about me.’”
His daughter, Yahli, was born in December 2022. Ten months later, the war broke out, and David was hardly ever able to be home physically, yet his presence was felt at every moment. Dafna describes a devoted, supportive and deeply involved father who remained a full partner through constant video calls. “He was the closest father you could possibly have, while physically being as far away as he could possibly be.”
When Dafna had previously asked him to consider taking a noncombat position, he answered firmly: “Are you serious? Then I wouldn’t stay in the army. That’s not what interests me.” David loved his military service and his soldiers with all his heart.
The devastating news of his death struck the family like a bolt from the blue. His friend Michael emphasizes David’s strength as a fighter: “If it hadn’t been a sniper who caught him by surprise from behind, there’s no way he would have beaten him. David was a winner and incredibly strong, but that was God’s will. Fate is stronger than everything.”
At his funeral, female officers who had served under him brought a sticker they had made in his memory bearing a phrase that captured his essence: “Do everything with a smile.”
His mother, Gabriela, sums it up: “I believe David came into this world as an angel for 30 years. He fulfilled his mission. He was too good for this world, and God took him back.”
David left us an enduring legacy of love for others, humility and a smile that could overcome anything.
Maj. David Shakuri of the IDF Combat Engineering Corps fell in battle on Feb. 6, 2024. He was 30 years old.
May his memory be a blessing.
Major
David Shakuri