The IDF confirmed Wednesday the death of Staff Sgt. Danilo Mocanu, 20, from Holon, who was killed during combat in southern Gaza.
Mocanu served as a combat support soldier in the 7th Armored Brigade's 82nd Battalion. According to the military, he was killed when an explosive device detonated, causing the collapse of the building where his unit was operating.
Another soldier was lightly wounded in the same incident and was evacuated for medical treatment.
Mocanu is the second Israeli soldier killed during the current stage of Operation Gideon’s Chariots. The IDF reported that a total of 858 soldiers have fallen since the start of the war.
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A preliminary investigation by the 98th Division revealed that Mocanu's unit entered a building Monday afternoon in an eastern Khan Younis neighborhood. The building had no prior intelligence indicating it was suspicious. The operation took place near the Israeli border as part of the IDF’s ground maneuver on the outskirts of the city.
Before entering, the unit deployed a robotic probe and small reconnaissance drones, which detected no threats. Once inside, a powerful explosive device was detonated on the fourth floor, triggering a partial collapse that buried the soldiers. Staff Sgt. Mocanu was killed in the blast, and another soldier was wounded.
Defense Minister Israel Katz eulogized: “My deepest condolences on the death of Staff Sgt. Danilo Mocanu, an 82nd Battalion soldier, who fell in the line of duty in combat in southern Gaza. My heart is with the grieving family during this painful time. I pray for the recovery of all the wounded. May his memory be a blessing.”
The Holon municipality, Mocanu’s hometown, mourned his death: “Danilo embodied a spirit of volunteerism, courage and mutual responsibility. He went out to defend the country and gave his life heroically at just 20 years old. May his memory be a blessing.”
On Monday, the military released the name of another fallen soldier, Sgt. Yosef Yehuda Chirak, 22, from the settlement of Harsha in the West Bank's Binyamin region. Chirak, a combat engineer in the 601st Battalion, was killed by friendly fire in northern Gaza.
A preliminary investigation published Tuesday morning indicated that Chirak's unit had entered a building to inspect and destroy a tunnel shaft. While they carried out the operation, another unit was securing the area. He was laid to rest Tuesday afternoon at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem.