Mother of Oz Daniel, whose body was released last night: ‘I still had a small glimmer of hope he’d return alive’

Merav Daniel, the mother of Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel says the “circle of doubt has been closed” after his body was returned last night by the Hamas terror group.

“We have mixed feelings, we had hoped for a different ending. There was a small glimmer of hope in me that Oz would return alive,” she tells Radio 103FM.

“Oz and I had conversations about abduction even before October 7. He always said he would do everything to avoid falling into captivity. On that day he fought the terrorists against all odds. He snatched a grenade from one of them and then they shot him to death, next to the tank,” she tells the Kan public broadcaster.

Daniel, 19, was killed while battling terrorists on the Gaza border near Nirim during the October 7 onslaught, and his body was abducted. He is survived by his parents and his twin sister.

Daniel and two others from the same tank — Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra and Sgt. Shaked Dahan — were killed in the attack, and their bodies taken to Gaza, while soldier Nimrod Cohen was abducted alive to the Strip. Cohen was released on October 13, along with the other 19 living hostages.

The Hamas terror group returned to Israel the remains of three deceased hostages, Col. Asaf Hamami, Neutra and Daniel yesterday evening.

“He has been finally brought home for a respectful burial,” Merav Daniel tells Channel 12 news.