Herzog eulogizes Daniel Perez, a commander ‘with composure and extraordinary courage,’ at Jerusalem funeral

President Isaac Herzog eulogizes Cpt. Daniel Perez at his funeral at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, after his body was returned this week from Hamas captivity two years after his murder in the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023.

“Today, Captain Daniel Peretz, son of this nation, returns home — to his soil, to our soil,” Herzog says.

Perez, an immigrant from South Africa, was a tank commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion and was killed battling Hamas terrorists on October 7, who then abducted his body to Gaza.

“On that bitter, hasty morning two years ago, Captain Daniel Perez commanded ‘Team Perez’ — his Nahal Oz unit — with composure and extraordinary courage,” Herzog says.

Perez fought “Together with his tank crew,” which included Tomer Leibovitz, Itay Chen and Matan Angrest — the crew’s sole survivor.

Chen’s body was taken to Gaza along with Perez’s, while Leibovitz was killed but not kidnapped. Angrest, who was abducted alive and released on Monday, is in attendance at the funeral.

Herzog honors Chen’s memory, whose body is still held by Hamas in Gaza, saying “we embrace his family today, even as we continue to demand, cry out, pray and act by every means for his immediate return to the landscape of his homeland, as stipulated in [US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire] agreement.”

The president commends the Perez family, saying their bravery and commitment to national unity became apparent throughout his meetings with them during the war, and thanks them for “teaching us another lesson: that even in the deepest personal pain, it is possible to hold onto the faith of an entire nation.”

“We must not stop, must not tire, must not give up or accept a reality in which any of our fallen have not yet returned. The mission is not yet complete. We will continue to do everything until we bring everyone home to eternal rest,” Herzog says.