Heroism of Murdered Hostage Ori Danino

March 3, 2025

by: Gilad Cohen ~ Ynetnews

Friday, 28 February 2025 | Rabbi Elchanan Danino, father of hostage Ori Danino, who was murdered in a Hamas tunnel in Gaza, spoke with former hostage Eliya Cohen and learned remarkable details about his son’s bravery. According to Cohen, who was held captive alongside him, Ori fought his kidnappers on October 7 and worked to help his fellow hostages.

In an interview with Ynetnews, Danino shared what he learned from Cohen. “He told us that Ori got out of the car and hid in a bush. When a terrorist grabbed him, he punched him so hard that he was badly injured. Even inside the vehicle, during the abduction, Ori fought the terrorists hand-to-hand,” his father said.

According to Danino, the terrorist was so injured that he was unable to identify who had hurt him, even 50 days later. “They searched for the one who hit and wounded the terrorist for 50 days in the tunnels,” he said.

Cohen also told him that, while in captivity, Ori “didn’t even acknowledge the terrorists’ weapons” and focused on helping his wounded comrades. “He didn’t care that they were armed. They only gave Hersh (Goldberg-Polin) medical treatment because of him after three days.”

Danino described his son as fearless. “He was a soldier and we always knew Ori had no fear. Eliya told us that Ori told him: ‘I’m not sure I’ll make it out.’ He was completely mission-driven. Ori told me: ‘Dad, if there’s a war, I’ll be the first to fight.’ In the end, he helped save three hostages—Omer Shem Tov, Mia and Itay Regev.”

Despite always knowing his son was courageous, Danino admitted: “I would have run away in that situation. Ori’s siblings constantly say that, even today, he wouldn’t have acted any differently. One of his former girlfriends called me today and said that ‘Ori always told me his greatest honor would be to die for his country.’”

Ori enlisted in the Givati Brigade’s ultra-Orthodox battalion in 2018 and was later recruited into its elite reconnaissance unit. At one point, he was transferred to the 202nd Battalion under the command of Lt. Almog Rotem, to whom he remained closely attached.

“Ori was a fighter,” his father said. “We were blessed that he saved three people from the Jewish people. It’s an honor and a source of comfort. But it’s a deep wound for his siblings. Their big brother is suddenly gone—it’s not easy.”

According to Cohen, Ori never left Hersh’s side in captivity. “He was a unifying force in the tunnels. He refused to eat meat or chicken there and recited the Jewish prayer for meals loud at every meal.

“He seemed to know exactly what he was doing at every moment. His awareness in life was incredible. His love for others wasn’t new to us—he always helped the elderly and the poor. He would help complete strangers.”

Danino stressed that Ori was one of many heroes: “Let’s not forget—there are hundreds, even thousands of heroes in this story. We thought this generation was ‘only about technology,’ but they have incredible strength—like Aner Shapira. Which of us adults would do something like that?”

Shapiro threw back at Hamas terrorists seven grenades thrown into the shelter near the Nova festival that has been come to be known as the ‘shelter of death,’ saving many lives.

“This is what our leaders should be learning,” he added. “Aner and Ori did it without being ordered to—they risked and sacrificed themselves. There’s no shortage of heroes in this war. The gap between the leadership and the soldiers who gave everything is enormous. At the very least, our leaders should strive to be like them, but instead, it seems like they go out of their way not to be.”

Ori Danino was executed by Hamas terrorists in late August, along with hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Carmel Gat. At the time, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated: “They were kidnapped on October 7 and murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them.”

Posted on March 3, 2025

Source: (This article was originally published by Ynetnews on February 27, 2025. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Roded Shlomo Pikiwiki Israel/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia