Laying Ori Danino to his final rest
Liel Avraham, the girlfriend of Ori Danino, told Israeli media that she spent all Saturday night praying her “hero” partner wasn’t among the bodies found in a tunnel in Rafah. Her fears were confirmed at 4 a.m..“We started receiving messages like the whole country on Telegram from 8:00 p.m.,” Liel said on Sunday, “We received the official message, only after eight hours, at exactly 4:00 a.m. Only then was there an official identification and we were informed. It’s terrible, because you want to hold on to hope, and the news is forced on you before it’s official.“They put us in hell as early as eight in the evening,” she said. “We waited together, we hoped, we prayed. Under no scenario did we expect such an end. We knew that Ori was alive until very recently. It happened very recently. We will demand and receive a full and detailed investigation of everything. Right now, we are still shocked and heartbroken by the news, and I feel like a character in a movie.”
Danino was a “hero” in the eyes of Leil due to his life-saving efforts and personal sacrifice on October 7. He had been enjoying the Nova Music Festival when Hamas invaded southern Israel, murdering over 1200 people.The 25-year-old helped other Nova attendees survive the attack and escape the scene.
'The best partner you could imagine'
Having driven himself and survivors away from the music festival, Danino decided to turn back in hopes of rescuing more attendees. It was while turning back that he was abducted by Hamas terrorists.“He ran away from the party, got out of hell, came back to save more people, and was kidnapped with them. He survived more than 300 days in captivity to return full of hope and faith,” Liel said, “he excelled in everything he did.He was a fighter, a brother. The firstborn of four broken brothers, the firstborn of broken parents, the best partner you can imagine.”His father told the Army Radio that on October 7, his son “turned around and came back to save Itai and Mia Regev and Omer Shem Tov,” before their car was subsequently halted by a Hamas vehicle.From Jerusalem, the 25-year-old Danino was the eldest son of five to parents Einav and Elchanan.The young Danino had plans to study electrical engineering, according to the Hostage Families Forum. He was “known for his ambition, love for people, and was beloved by all.“He loved nature and was very handy.”
Danino’s body was discovered alongside the bodies of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi.
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the hostages were killed by Hamas shortly before the IDF’s arrival.