Mother of Oz Daniel: ‘You are finally here, on the soil of the land you loved so much’

The mother of Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel remembers her son as someone who had “heroism, belief, loyalty to your values ​​and to your people,” as thousands attend the funeral of the soldier whose body was taken hostage by Hamas.

“You always smiled, you gave yourself without limit, you listened, you hugged, you loved,” says Merav Daniel, whose son’s body was returned by Hamas earlier this week.

“This is not how I hoped to meet you again, this is not how I imagined the day I would welcome you back,” she says. “But in this heartbreak, there is a moment of comfort, a breath of relief, of knowing deep down that you are finally here, on the soil of the land you loved so much, the land you swore to protect. And with your body, you kept this vow to the fullest.”

“My Ozi, for two years we have been waiting for you. An entire people all over the world have been waiting with us. A people who walked this long road with us, who got up with us every morning and thought of you, who carried you in their hearts, in their prayers, in their songs, and in their tears,” she says. “Today, this entire nation is here, standing by your side. And I say to you, welcome home. And I say to you, thank you.”

She says that she had discussed the possibility with her son that he could be taken hostage.

“You told me firmly: “Mom, if I come across someone and they try to kidnap me, I will resist with all my might and do everything to avoid being taken,” she says, adding that she had told him to act wisely. “But you stood before me with your beautiful, shining eyes, insisted and said “Mom, I will do everything, but I will not remain hostage.”

“Thank you, my child, for all that you were, and for all that you are,” she says.

Officials in attendance at the funeral include President Isaac Herzog, former defense minister Yoav Gallant and former IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi, as well as Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz and Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter.

Former hostage Sgt. Nimrod Cohen, who was in the same tank as Daniel, is also at the funeral.

Daniel, 19, of the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, from Kfar Saba, was killed on October 7 while battling the Hamas invasion of southern Israel, and his body was taken captive to Gaza, where it was held for over two years.

Oz was stationed that morning with his comrades at the so-called “White House” IDF post between Kibbutz Nir Oz and Kibbutz Nirim. When the Hamas attack began, he set out in their tank with his commander, Cpt. Omer Neutra, along with Sgt. Shaked Dahan and Cohen.

Neutra’s body was returned to Israel on Sunday and Cohen was one of 20 living hostages released last month. Neutra is set to be buried at the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery in Tel Aviv tomorrow.