Since the war began on October 7, 713 IDF soldiers have been during the Gaza operation; four of them –Captain Daniel Mimon Toaff, 23, from Moreshet, Staff Sgt. Agam Naim, 20, from Mishmarot, Staff Sgt. Amit Bakri, 21, from Yoshevia, and Staff Sgt. Dotan Shimon, 21, from Elazar – died Tuesday when a building exploded in Rafah in southern Gaza.
As part of the 401st Armored Brigade operation, soldiers were conducting searches for weapons in a building in the Tel Sultan neighborhood. For reasons still under investigation, a deadly explosion occurred. A helicopter evacuated the wounded, including five soldiers in serious condition and two others in moderate condition, to Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva.
Captain Daniel Mimon Toaff was the deputy company commander in the Shaked Battalion of the Givati Brigade. He had taken over the role from Lt. Yaron Eliezer Chitiz, 23, of Ra’anana, who was killed in December during a battle in northern Gaza. Daniel’s father, Shlomo Toaff, an executive at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, told Army Radio that"Daniel had been in Gaza since day one. He never complained. When we asked, ‘Is everything okay?’ he’d just say, ‘Yes, Dad, everything’s fine.’”
'Pure-hearted children who gave everything for Israel'
Shlomo shared how Daniel, an avid mountain biker, had studied at a religious high school in Sde Yaakov and spent two years at the Bnei David pre-military academy before joining the IDF. "He was supposed to attend a company commander course in three months, and we had hoped we would finally have peace. Well, now we have peace," Shlomo said, noting that one of his other sons serves in the reserves and his daughter is an intelligence officer.
"We deeply believe in doing everything for the people of Israel, and Daniel gave everything," Shlomo said. "Last night, we went to a café, came home, and my wife, Orit, went to her sports class. I stayed home. At 8:30 p.m., there was a knock on the door, and I opened it to see three good people standing there. I knew something had happened." He recalled videos Daniel had sent of his unit in action, saying: "If there's anything that gives hope to the people of Israel, it's these incredible children."
Staff Sgt. Agam Naim, a paramedic in the 52nd Battalion of the Iron Tracks Formation (401st Armored Brigade), was the first female soldier killed in the ground offensive in Gaza. Her cousin, Yaron, eulogized her: "You promised you’d take care of yourself, but you always reminded us that if it wasn’t you, there would be no one to do your job, no one to protect and care for the soldiers. You were my hero, a true hero."
Agam’s aunt, Mariel, added: "She spent the last six months in Gaza. Her father is a bereaved brother, so he worried even more. She didn’t have to go, but she insisted. She was the most beautiful, joyful, talented person. She volunteered with Magen David Adom, spent a year in service working with post-hospitalized youth. Last weekend, she was sick and stayed home. Her commander told her she didn’t need to return, but she went back to Gaza anyway."
Agam’s mother, Dorit, had written about her daughter’s complex service in recent months, sharing how proud they were when Agam was selected for the paramedic course. "She finished the course with honors and was immediately attached to the Armored Corps," Dorit wrote. "Two days later, she was already in Gaza with the engineering corps. We stopped breathing; our lives changed. I discovered anxiety attacks I hadn’t known before."
In a later post, Dorit described her reaction to hearing of other casualties in the war: "Agam called me and said, ‘Mom, do you see? It could happen anywhere.’ Yes, it feels like losing control, like being stuck in a tunnel with no end. Just last week, she treated severely wounded soldiers. What kind of child will I get back at the end of this war?"
Staff Sgt. Amit Bakri was a combat operative in the Shaked Battalion of the Givati Brigade. His sister, Noa, shared: "He enlisted in the Military Police as an investigator. But when the war broke out, he couldn’t stay in that role. Despite his medical profile, he did everything he could to transfer to a combat unit. Amit was unstoppable when he set his mind to something."
Noa recalled that, just last week, Amit was home when he was called back to Gaza. "He’d been injured three weeks ago by an anti-tank missile, but even after being treated at Soroka Medical Center, he returned to his unit immediately. He said, ‘There’s no way my team stays there while I’m here.’ He was all-in for the war."
Amit had spoken to his family after being allowed to use his phone. "He wasn’t too worried about himself, but he mentioned the anti-tank missile incident was scary." Noa added, "He was supposed to come home in two weeks."
Staff Sgt. Dotan Shimon, also a combat operative in the Shaked Battalion of the Givati Brigade, lost his sister Nofar, 17, in a car accident in 2013. His brother Guy, the only surviving son in the family, said: "Dotan was the most perfect person you could imagine. He had a radiant smile, and was incredibly handsome, with a heart of gold. He was the best brother anyone could ask for."
Guy recounted Dotan’s journey in the IDF, where he had completed a course for commander trainees. "His company commander wanted him to stay on, so he was assigned as a team leader. He’d been in Gaza for over a month when he was lightly wounded by shrapnel a few weeks ago. But after two days, he went back to the fight."
Guy said the family never considered that Dotan might not come home. "There was concern, but we had become accustomed to the situation. It wasn’t like the beginning of the war. I believe our parents worried more, but I felt safer. Now, I’m the only son left for my parents."