Guns 'n Roses fan St.-Sgt. Oz Daniel, 19, was killed on duty in Kibbutz Nirim during the October 7 massacre while trying to make one last effort to defend his country.
In Daniel’s final moments, he attempted to steal a grenade from his captors, trying to fight against them, before being shot to death in the struggle.
Daniel was in one of the six tanks near the Gaza border the morning of Hamas's invasion into southern Israel.
When the Hamas terrorists began to cross the border, Daniel and his crew headed towards Gaza to fight. They were met with hundreds of armed terrorists, their tank was immobilized, and the driver was killed.
Footage soon emerged of three crew members, including Daniel, emerging from the tank, surrounded by terrorists.
Oz: Music fan, sensitive, intelligent, and optimistic
Daniel was from Kfar Saba. He was a huge fan of music and playing his guitar.
His family described him as sensitive, intelligent, and optimistic. They said he loved people and loved to laugh.
Daniel was due to begin officer training shortly after October 7. His funeral was held in the military cemetery in Kfar Saba.
Daniel’s family quickly joined the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. His mother, Merav, has been vocal throughout the war, doing countless interviews to fight the best she can for her son’s return.
In an interview with Walla, Merav Daniel said, “Every bombing increases the chance that the fallen will disappear,” adding that neither she nor the military knew where her son's body was.
Daniel’s family believed he had been taken alive for 141 days, until February 2024, when the IDF found a bloodied uniform that DNA testing proved had belonged to Daniel, and received more footage of that day that showed Daniel attempting to fight back against his captors.
“Oz was kidnapped while defending the country, and now the country is abandoning him. I’m horrified by what’s happening,” Merav stated.
She added, “We must stop, end the fighting, return the hostages, and we can always go back to fighting afterward. I don’t want any soldier to die for this, certainly not for bodies. Because this really is hell on earth.”
Daniel’s family has sat shiva and held a funeral without his body after learning about his death in February. His mother told Channel 12 that “for me, Oz isn’t truly in that grave, so I call it a memorial stone. Until he is properly buried, for me, the circle is not closed."