IDF Names Soldier Who Fell In Gaza, Another Soldier Dies From Fungal Infection

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — BDE: The IDF announced the name of a soldier who fell in battle in Northern Gaza, and another soldier who was severely injured two months ago died of a fungal infection he had contracted in the Gaza strip.

The fallen soldier was identified as Major David Shakuri (30), a resident of Rehovot and the deputy commander of the 601st Battalion of the Combat Engineering Corps. (401st brigade).

Major David Shakuri HyD

His wife Dafna Peretz-Shakuri paid tribute to him: “My love. You are my whole world. You are gone and I am left with only half of my life. Take care of me and Yahali from above, I love you.”

His friend Omri Alkabetz eulogized, stating that “The ground has dropped from under my feet. In 2019, we toured battle sites of World War II. We learned. We saw. We never thought we would experience such pain.”

“Major David Shakuri, you were pure man, kind-hearted, a professional with the highest level of grace. You were a calm and composed commander and a personal role model. I love you,” he added.

The soldier who died of a fungal infection was identified as Hanan Drori, a reserve soldier from the community of Psagot in the Binyamin region. He was 26 years old.

Hanan Drori HyD

Drori left behind his parents and three siblings, and was about to become engaged.

Drori’s family had appealed for help in obtaining the experimental drug Fosmanogepix from Ireland and succeeded in obtaining it, but the treatment did not help and the soldier was pronounced dead.

Drori was seriously wounded in an RPG attack during combat operations in Gaza two months ago and subsequently suffered the acute fungal infection.

The Israeli Society for Infectious Diseases has warned that soldiers returning from Gaza have been carrying an alarming amount of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.