IDF soldier dies from wounds suffered in Khan Yunis

IDF Staff Sgt. Maoz Morell, member of a Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit, succumbed to wounds he sustained on Feb. 15 while fighting in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, on Monday night.

Morell, 22, from Talmon in the Binyamin region of Samaria, was the sixth combat soldier from the same high school yeshivah in Dimona to die in the Gaza war.

Before an official announcement was released of his death, Morell’s brother Dov posted to X: “My brother Maoz passed away tonight in the hospital. We had time to read vidui [a confession prayer] at his bedside, parents and siblings.

“Maoz is the first brother whose birth I remember. I hope and pray very much that he is also the last brother to go in my lifetime. Friends—it is very important to me that you come to comfort us. We will sit shivah in Talmon.”

Maoz’s funeral will be held at noon Tuesday on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. “We would be happy if you would come to pay him last respects,” his brother wrote.

Rabbi Yaakov Dudi, head of the high school, the Tzvia Dimona Yeshivah, paid tribute to Morrell.

“Maoz’s bravery and determination were manifested throughout his life’s journey, in his constant dealing with day-to-day challenges, in his diligence in the Torah and in his adherence to its teachings. The pleasantness of his ways, the charm of his face and his love for his family, his friends and everyone around him will remain engraved in our hearts and on the walls of our seminary,” the rabbi said.

His friends said of him, “Maoz was marked by his vigor, kindness, smile, joy and music. He was a true friend and loved by all of us.”

Two other paratroopers died in the same battle as Morrell, Staff Sgt. Rotem Sahar-Hadar, 20, and Sgt. Noam Haba, 21. Other soldiers were wounded.