Those We Have Lost

Master Sgt. Daniel Kastiel, 24: Always charged ahead

Killed battling Hamas terrorists on the Zikim Beach, October 11

Master Sgt. Daniel Kastiel who was killed in Zikim on October 7, 2023. (IDF)
Master Sgt. Daniel Kastiel who was killed in Zikim on October 7, 2023. (IDF)

Master Sgt. (res.) Daniel Kastiel, 24, a Maglan soldier from Beit Shemesh, was killed battling Hamas terrorists on the Zikim Beach on October 11.

He was buried on October 13 in the military section of the Beit Shemesh cemetery. He is survived by his parents, Vivian and Yehuda, and four brothers, Yehonatan, David, Michael and Raziel, as well as his girlfriend, Maya.

His family told Israel Hayom that “Daniel was a great person. He always sought the success of his brothers, his family and his parents. He was very modest and always concerned with the success of everyone.”

The final voice notes and messages Kastiel sent to his loved ones in the days before his death have taken on new resonance after he was killed.

“Razi, what’s up my man, listen, again I’m reminding you to stay focused,” Daniel said in a voice note to his brother, Raziel, who is also serving in an IDF combat unit, not long before his death. “Don’t tell people what’s going on, what the situation is, who’s dead. Whoever dies is dead, it’s over, and you move on. Raise the spirits of your friends, have high morale, be sharp. Eyes up high, no phone, no Instagram, no-nonsense. You’re focused, finger on the trigger, eyes up.”

“Got it?” he continued. “Don’t focus on what was and what will be and don’t listen to stories, don’t watch videos, it’s not good for the soul. Look at my crew, everyone is locked down, everyone is happy, everyone is smiling, and nobody even turns their phones on at all. We’re ready, and you have to be ready too — you understand?… Take care of yourself.”

His brother, Michael, told Channel 14 that the last time he saw Daniel alive was on Simhat Torah morning, October 7, “when he got an aliyah during Torah reading when he was already in IDF uniform, his car was waiting outside, he wrapped himself in a tallit, read the [blessings] and went. That’s the last time we saw him.”

That memory is one of the reasons, Michael said, that the family is raising funds to dedicate a Torah scroll in his honor.

Kastiel’s cousin, Noa Tuizer, wrote on Instagram that “Daniel was a lover of people, who loved the land, a beautiful child, modest, respectful and incredibly funny. He always had a smile on his face and contagious joy for life. He had so many dreams and aspirations for the future. You will stay in our hearts forever Daniel.”

His girlfriend, Maya Elbaz, told Ma’ariv that when she received the news that he had been killed, she could not come to accept what had happened.

“I said that it wasn’t logical, that there was no way it happened,” she recounted. “It was in Daniel’s nature to charge ahead, I knew that if something had happened he would be the first to attack. Every time he had reserve duty he couldn’t wait to go,” she said.

“He had so many plans, aspirations, he worked for the water authority in Beit Shemesh, he wanted a family, he wanted kids, he wanted to get married,” she said. “He volunteered at a soup kitchen. All of his dreams, all of his aspirations, in one second, were gone.”

She publicized their final text messages, shortly before he was killed, and they were turned into a song titled “The Last Conversation” by singer Adir Getz.

“Our nation is the most beautiful in the world,” he wrote to her. “So many good people, the salt of the earth, are dying in battle, it’s unbelievable… Pray for those wounded.”

Read more Those We Have Lost stories here. 

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