The long-awaited funeral of IDF tank crewman Tzvi Feldman, who was killed in action during the First Lebanon War in 1982 and was missing for over 40 years, took place Monday at the military cemetery in Holon. His body was recovered following a covert Israeli mission in war-torn Syria.
The emotional funeral procession began at the IDF’s military rabbinical base at the Shura camp and concluded with a solemn burial.
Yitzhak Feldman, Tzvi’s brother, delivered a eulogy for Tzvi. “The Prime Minister always promised he would bring Tzvika back,” he said. “Yesterday, I told him, you fulfilled your oath.“
His sister, Anat, recounted the family’s decades-long struggle to uncover his fate. “We even spoke with the King of Morocco,” she said. „Yesterday we were informed that you have returned. We feel joy mixed with great sorrow.”
Feldman’s remains were discovered in the Yarmouk refugee camp cemetery in southern Damascus, accaccordingording to a report by Saudi news outlet Al-Arabiya. Only five individuals reportedly knew the grave’s exact location. Following the collapse of Assad’s regime in the area, Israeli forces launched a covert mission to retrieve his body. The operation involving special commando units, local armed collaborators, and Mossad operatives.
The team exhumed four graves and returned all remains to Israel for examination. DNA testing eventually confirmed Feldman’s identity. Israel is now also analyzing other remains recovered during the mission to determine if they may belong to legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen, known in Israel by the historical moniker ‚Our man in Damascus‘.
