Hundreds of mourners came on Monday to the Mount Herzl military cemetery under dark gray skies that opened to heavy rains to pay their last respects at the funeral of Capt. Daniel Perez, 22.
Perez was killed in action on October 7 and his body was taken to Gaza. The IDF announced his death on March 17 and his funeral was held the following day although his body is still being held by Hamas. A coffin with blood belonging to Perez gathered at his tank’s last battle site was lowered into the grave.
Perez was from Yad Binyamin and served as a platoon commander in the 77th battalion of the 7th “Storm from the Golan” formation and had made aliyah from South Africa with the rest of his family in 2014.
He had asked the army to change his profile so he could serve as a combat soldier in the Armored Corps. He was the son of Rabbi Doron Perez, CEO of the World Mizrachi movement, and his wife, Shelley Perez.
A hero who saved lives and battled terror
In his eulogy for his son Daniel, who battled against hundreds of Hamas terrorists with his four-member tank team along the southern border at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, its adjacent military base, and at Kibbutz Saad, Rabbi Perez noted how his other son Yonatan was fighting at the same time at Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
“You not only saved the lives of many others, but you may have also saved the life of your brother who was fighting only some meters from you at Kibbutz Nahal Oz,” he said. “I thank God for saving Yonatan, but I don’t know why he chose you for that mission. It is as if your whole life’s journey led you to be ready for that mission and you were.”
He described Perez as a young man full of energy who was always surrounded by friends of all stripes. He had an adventurous spirit and loved extreme sports, especially wakeboarding, he said, and he was also determined and stubborn, and when he set his mind to something, nothing could dissuade him.
When Perez joined the army, he became focused on being the best soldier and commander, he said.
Yonatan said his brother had understood the responsibility of the mission he was undertaking when he led his tank team out with no clear orders to fight the terrorists.
“You understood the fate of the civilians was in your hands,” he said. He would miss running together with his brother before Shabbat and the one-on-one soccer games in their yard.
“Daniel, my brother, you are a real hero. Daniel, I will miss you very much. I will miss our talks about the army and just sitting and talking with you in your room. But mostly I will miss my best friend.”
Over the weekend before they were told of his death, Rabbi Perez and his youngest daughter Shira spoke at the rally at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv supporting families of the hostages and he tearfully delivered a prayer for the safety of the hostages and soldiers.
“My wife and I were discussing how can we pass this after 163 days of suffering, but we decided that we can, just as we decided the day of Yonatan’s wedding, also today we decided that we will focus on what we have to honor you, our beloved hero, and not focus on the mourning, which we have a lifetime to do. We also don’t have your body and we have a long fight ahead of us to get that back,” he said.
“So we came to honor you and all your team – Tomer Liebowitz, Itai Chen, and Matan Angrest – and all who have fallen. How much I have cried today. I have not cried like that in all my life; more than I have cried in the past five and a half months when I was not able to cry because we were working for your release.”
Liebowitz was declared dead on October 7, while Chen’s death was confirmed by the IDF on March 12. His body was also abducted into Gaza by Hamas.
A released hostage has said they saw Angrest while in captivity.
A trusted and loyal friend
Perez’s best friend from the army, Lt. Raz Elghazi, called him his “soul brother” and recalled how they were always there for one another as they went through the same army courses.
“From the first time I saw you three years ago, I knew I would have a connection with you forever, brother. You were an excellent soldier, commander, captain, but most importantly you were a trusted friend. I would tell you everything and share everything with you and you would share everything with me,” Elghazi said.
“How many plans we had together. Every time we were going through a dark period in the army you would say: Elghazi, you and I will finish the army and get a bag and go to some beach in the east. Daniel, my beloved brother, during all the time I have been fighting in Gaza I had hoped we would find you in some house and I would take you and put you in the tank and take you back to the border and I wouldn’t care about anything else. Brother, you fought like a lion, like a hero.”
Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon of Gush Etzion noted that in addition to the many lives he saved even in his death, Perez did good, as thousands of acts of goodness and prayers were done and said on his behalf.
Chief Rabbi David Lau was among those who eulogized Perez.
“We have a wonderful generation, a generation of soldiers who get up and do everything to protect the nation, to protect Torah, to protect the land. Daniel, you came here as a child and came to defend the country on the day of the Torah, on Simchat Torah... against those who came to destroy the nation, and you and your friends went out to defend the country,” said Lau.
Rabbi Perez accompanied his two daughters, Shira and Adina, as they tearfully spoke about their older brother.
“Five months we waited to hear about your fate: were you eating, what trauma you were living. But the minute they told us the worst news, a stone was lifted from me because I know that these days you were with us all the time protecting us. You saw me in all my conversations. When I spoke, you were there every minute,” said Shira.
“Although I feel this pain that you are not here anymore in every part of me, at this moment I am so proud to be your sister. Every day that goes by I will think of my hero, my amazing brother who put aside his personal desires in honor of God, the nation, and the country.”
A brave and selfless man
Adina recalled how supportive her brother had always been, despite their differences and disputes, and how he had hugged her and encouraged her when she was having problems with exams in school.
“Your bravery, selflessness, and dedication to our country were evident by your actions, and as a result, you saved hundreds of Jewish lives. You strengthened everyone and you were loved by everyone you encountered and left an impression on their life. I am proud to have you as a brother, you fought to the very end. You sacrificed your life to protect us. You were a true soldier and a true hero.
“I am so, so honored to be your sister. Your turn on earth may have ended but you will continue to live in the minds of thousands. You will never truly be gone because a part of you lives in every one of us. We will celebrate your life because you continue to live within our hearts. Not many have the chance to meet their heroes, I was blessed to have known mine and I will be forever grateful. I only hope to be able to do the best I can to make you proud.”
Rabbi Perez addressed both the Israeli government and the American administration, urging the former to not forget the 134 hostages – both dead and alive – still in Gaza and to return them back home as quickly as possible, saying there was now a blood covenant between the government and the people.
He told the latter that only Hamas is responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and if all the hostages were returned unconditionally the humanitarian issue would “go away.”