IDF forces have recovered the assault rifle of Cpt. Daniel Perez hy”d, a fallen armored officer who was killed and abducted during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre.

According to the IDF, reservists from the Carmeli Brigade located the M-16 at a booby-trapped site in the northern Gaza Strip after receiving precise intelligence indicating that Hamas operatives had stored the weapon there. Engineers secured the area before troops retrieved the rifle.

Perez, 22, had been stationed near the Gaza border on the morning of October 7, where he and his tank crew held their position for hours against waves of Hamas terrorists. He was killed in the fighting alongside Sgt. Tomer Leibovitz and Staff Sgt. Itay Chen. The bodies of Perez and Chen were taken into Gaza; Perez’s remains were returned to Israel only two months ago.

The IDF said the recovery of Perez’s weapon underscores ongoing efforts to dismantle Hamas infrastructure in the Strip and gather evidence connected to the October 7 attacks.

Perez’s comrade, Matan Angrest, was abducted alive and remained in Gaza for the next 738 days until his release in October.

The military did not release further details on the condition of the site where the weapon was found, citing operational security.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)