Israeli MIAs
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Israeli MIA are members of the Israel Defense Forces who are missing in action. Despite efforts to locate and repatriate them, their whereabouts remain unknown. Every year, a state ceremony is held at Mount Herzl, Israel's military cemetery in Jerusalem.[1]
IDF prisoners of war
In the Yom Kippur War 301 Israelis were captured by Syria and Egypt, 232 of whom by the Egyptians, 65 by the Syrians and 4 by the Lebanese. The majority of them were captured in the first stage of that war. Some Israeli soldiers reported after their release about the difficult conditions they faced: they were severely beaten by their captors, sometimes making them unconscious, while many reported that they were being investigated under torture.[2]
Known Israeli MIAs
- Yehuda Katz, an IDF soldier of the 362nd battalion declared missing after the Battle of Sultan Yacoub in Lebanon on June 12, 1982.[3]
- Ron Arad, an IDF F-4 Phantom II navigator, was lost over Lebanon on October 16, 1986.[4]
- Guy Hever disappeared on duty in the Golan Heights on August 17, 1997.[4]
October 7th and aftermath
During the Hamas October 7 invasion of Israel, 251 people were abducted from Israel into the Gaza strip. Of these, at least 23 were IDF soldiers, while the rest were Israeli civilians (both Jewish and non-Jewish), and foreign workers. Seven of the soldiers taken hostage were taken from the Nahal Oz military base, near the Kibbutz Nahal Oz, during the Nahal Oz attack. All seven were females.[5] One was rescued three weeks after being taken hostage, the body of one was recovered in November 2023[a], and the other five were released in January 2025 as part of the second Gaza war ceasefire.[7][6][8] The remainder of the soldiers taken captive include Colonel Asaf Hamami, the highest ranking officer whose body was abducted, Sergeant Major Muhammad Alatrash an Israeli from the Bedouin community, and Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American citizen.[9][10] Alexander was released on May 12, 2025 as a "gesture of goodwill toward US President Donald Trump."[11]
In addition to the soldiers taken hostage in the October 7 invasion of Israel, Hamas also holds the body of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin who fell in battle during the 2014 Gaza War.[12]
Recovered MIAs and KIAs
The remains of several Israeli soldiers missing and killed in action have been recovered.
| Name | Date Missing/Killed | Circumstance | Date Recovered | Circumstance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Gasner | April 20, 1949 | Killed and body taken to Idna[13] | 6 May 1949/15 May 2025 | Body recovered, mistakenly thought to be missing.
In 2025, discovered in Israeli cemetery. [13] |
| Zechariah Baumel | 10–11 June, 1982 | Battle of Sultan Yacoub | April 4, 2019 | Operation Bittersweet Song |
| Tzvi Feldman | 10–11 June, 1982 | Battle of Sultan Yacoub | May 11, 2025 | Mossad Operation[14] |
| Nachshon Wachsman | October 9, 1994 | Abduction and killing of Nachshon Wachsman | October 14 1994 | Rescue Attempt |
| Ehud Goldwasser | 12 July 2006 | Operation Truthful Promise | 16 July 2008 | Prisoner Exchange[15] |
| Eldad Regev | 12 July 2006 | Operation Truthful Promise | 16 July 2008 | Prisoner Exchange[15] |
| Gilad Shalit | 25 June 2006 | 2006 Gaza cross-border raid | 18 October 2011 | Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange |
| Oron Shaul | July 20, 2014 | Battle of Shuja'iyya | January 19, 2025 | ISA/Shabak Operation |
Procedure and guidelines
According to Reuben Yardor, a military intelligence leader of the Yom Kippur War, the automatic assumption they made was that all that's known to their captured soldiers is also known to the captors.[16]
Several publicized stories of Israeli prisoners of war were:[17]
- Corporal Uri Ilan, undercover soldier in the Golani Brigade who committed suicide in a Syrian prison in 1955, leaving a note in which he wrote, "I did not betray."
- Lieutenant Colonel Avi Nir, fighter pilot shot down and captured during the Yom Kippur War, died in captivity without revealing secrets to his captors. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Courage, for "[He] was tortured to death by investigators but revealed no information. Doing so demonstrates loyalty and supreme sacrifice."[18]
- Lieutenant Amos Levinberg, intelligence officer taken captive by the Syrians in the beginning the Yom Kippur War, and gave his captors a lot of information. He was eventually released in a prisoner exchange.[19]
See also
Notes
- ^ Her body was recovered from Al-Shifa Hospital[6]
References
- ^ Simmons, Rabbi Shraga (October 16, 1986). "Missing in Action". aishcom. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- ^ "Israel's MIAs". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 11 October 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
- ^ Fischer, Elli (August 30, 2017). "Yehuda, Tzvi, and Zachary: MIA for 30 Years". The Times of Israel. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- ^ a b Kaplan, Danny. "Commemorating a Suspended Death: Missing Soldiers and National Solidarity in Israel" (PDF). American Ethnologist Volume 35, Number 3 (August 2008). ISSN 0094-0496. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ^ Fabian, Emanuel (24 December 2024). "As IDF releases audio of lookout troops on Oct. 7, families complain footage edited". The Times of Israel.
- ^ a b Gil-Ad, Hadar (7 January 2024). "IDF soldier Noa Marciano was killed in Shifa hospital. Her father calls release of its director a 'knife to the heart'". Ynet.
- ^ Magramo, Akanksha Sharma, Kathleen (2023-10-31). "Israeli forces rescue soldier held by Hamas in special operation, IDF says". CNN. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "IDF soldiers released from captivity were held by senior Hamas terrorist – report". The Times of Israel. 4 February 2025.
- ^ Bletter, Diana (19 March 2025). "With new Gaza fighting, 4 IDF widows worry the bodies of their fallen husbands won't return". The Times of Israel.
- ^ Mednick, Sam (March 22, 2025). "Father of the last living American hostage in Gaza hopes Trump can bring his son home". AP News.
- ^ "'A gesture of goodwill toward Trump,' Egyptian official says on Edan Alexander release deal". Maariv. May 12, 2025.
- ^ Schneider, Tal (27 January 2025). "Once again, Hadar Goldin may be left behind". The Times of Israel.
- ^ a b "Trump says US will turn Gaza into a 'freedom zone,' but Hamas 'has to be dealt with'". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
- ^ Fabian, Emanuel. "Body of soldier Zvi Feldman, missing for 43 years, recovered by Mossad and IDF". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ a b "Kidnapped troops return in coffins from Lebanon". ynet. 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ^ Dalia Gavriely (2006). "Israel's Cultural Code of Captivity and the Personal Stories of Yom Kippur War Ex-POWs". Sage Journals. 33 (1): 94–105. doi:10.1177/0095327X05282531. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
- ^ "Public Law- An Act" (PDF). November 8, 1999. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
- ^ (The source is in Hebrew)
- ^ Bergman, Ronen (September 20, 2013). "The Spies Inside Damascus". Foreign Policy. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
Further reading
- Kaplan, Danny (July 31, 2008). "Commemorating a suspended death: Missing soldiers and national solidarity in Israel". American Ethnologist. 35 (3). Wiley-Blackwell: 413–427. doi:10.1111/j.1548-1425.2008.00043.x. ISSN 0094-0496.
- Public Law 106–89 106th Congress, US Congress, November 8, 1999
- Alexander Bligh (16 March 2017). Israeli Prisoner of War Policies: From the 1949 Armistice to the 2006 Kidnappings. Lexington Books. ISBN 978-0-7391-9472-0.