The IDF and the Mossad recovered the body of missing IDF soldier Sgt.-Maj. Tzvi Feldman in Syria, after 43 years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.
Netanyahu thanked the Mossad, the IDF, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), along with the Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch for their efforts in returning Feldman, in addition to securing “the return of all our missing and abducted – both the living and the fallen.”
The IDF said the body had been recovered during a complex and secret operation deep in Syria, using precise intelligence information.The operation occurred dozens of kilometers away from the border with Israel, endangering the lives of Mossad assets.Under the new Syrian government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, a breakthrough occurred in the operation, which had begun years earlier.However, the new government was not involved in the operation. Those involved were at the scene multiple times, recovering various samples.
Feldman served in the First Lebanon War and has been considered missing in action since 1982.
He fought in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub between Israel and Syria in June 1982, in which six soldiers were declared missing in action.The military said the family of St.-Sgt. Yehuda Katz, who also went missing in the battle, had been notified of the finding.Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “We continue to act in every possible way to bring back St.-Sgt. Yehuda Katz,” adding that bringing “back all the missing and captives to our land – both the living and those who are no longer among the living – is not only a profound commitment, but also our moral and national duty.”
Recovery of Sgt. Zachary Baumel
In 2019, Israel recovered Sgt. Zachary Baumel, who went missing in action during the same battle.
Baumel’s remains were repatriated via a third country aboard an El Al flight, following an operation by Israeli intelligence agencies.
The recovery of the body of Feldman from Syria is a reminder of the state’s duty to its citizens, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said on Sunday.It “serves as a powerful moral and national reminder to the prime minister and cabinet members – a proper burial isn’t a privilege, but a fundamental duty the state owes to its citizens and soldiers,” the statement noted.“In Israel, we leave no one behind,” the forum added.“We cannot allow ourselves as a society to accept a reality where families wait more than 40 years to be reunited with their loved ones,” the statement read.The forum further called for the return of the 59 hostages held in Gaza captivity: “The only viable solution is a comprehensive deal that ends the war and returns everyone. Prime Minister Netanyahu – the decision and power rest with you.”