Yesterday (Monday), Colonel Ihsan Daqsa, commander of the 401st Brigade, who was killed a few days ago during the 162nd Division’s maneuver in Jabalia in northern Gaza, was laid to rest at the cemetery in Isfiya. Daqsa actively participated in the fighting and was always at the forefront of the brigade’s forces. According to an initial investigation, Daqsa was killed by an explosive device after leaving his tank to conduct a field observation. He is survived by his wife and three children, residents of Daliyat al-Karmel.
Daqsa was a member of the Druze minority in Israel, which has repeatedly demonstrated its bond of fate with the Jewish people since the establishment of the State of Israel, and its full partnership in the security efforts. Since the beginning of the war, no fewer than 12 Druze soldiers have been killed. Daqsa himself was a well-known hero and an exemplary figure in both the Druze and broader Israeli populations.
During the Second Lebanon War, Daqsa took part in the battle of Aita al-Shaab, where IDF forces became entangled in combat in the Shiite village near the Israeli border. Daqsa, who was then a tank company commander, engaged the enemy and succeeded in rescuing soldiers who had been cut off from their units. For this effort, he was awarded a commendation after the war. Since then, Daqsa continued to rise through the ranks, becoming a battalion commander and later the commander of the Golan Division. He was appointed to his current position just a few months ago, in the midst of the war.\
“Since the painful news of his fall reached me, I keep recalling our last meeting in the field,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant eulogized him. “When I returned to the Kirya, I met with the Chief of Staff and some of the IDF generals. I spoke with them about the visit and asked them about Ihsan. I realized that what I saw wasn’t just how his commanders in the field viewed him, but how the Chief of Staff and all those who knew him saw him. He was an officer and commander of the highest caliber. It is painful and hard to accept that less than four months after fulfilling his dream of becoming the commander of the 401st Brigade, he fell, like in his life, taking initiative and engaging the enemy. To the family, the State of Israel has lost Ihsan, who was a leader to his subordinates. You have lost a brother, husband, and dear father. There are no words to provide comfort.”
“I most admired his unique leadership, filled with self-confidence. His natural command ability emerged from within the people, from the bottom up. He was a professional tank officer, and a prime example that victory in battle does not depend on tanks, but on leadership,” eulogized Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Amir Baram. Indeed, there is no doubt that this is a great loss for the IDF and the state, but also an incredible story of achievement and partnership between peoples.
