IDF locates burial place of soldier missing since 1948 War of Independence

Zrihan was killed in fighting near Sha’ar Hagai along with 13 other members of the convoy and was buried on April 22, 1948.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The burial site of a soldier killed during the War of Independence was discovered in a mass grave outside Jerusalem after a 15-year investigation.

The IDF said the breakthrough followed an investigation conducted by the Missing Persons Locator Branch in the IDF Casualties Division.

The inquiry, which lasted about 15 years, concluded that Pvt. Yaakov Zrihan was buried in a mass grave at the military cemetery in Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim together with seven other fallen IDF soldiers who took part in the convoys of Operation Harel.

Zrihan immigrated to Israel from Casablanca, Morocco, in December 1947 through the Habonim movement aboard the immigrant ship Haportzim.

He joined the Hasneh training group at Kibbutz Ramat Hakovesh, which was preparing to establish Kibbutz Bror Hayil.

On April 12, 1948, he enlisted in the Transportation Service and served as an operational driver attached to the Etzioni Brigade.

During Operation Harel, Zrihan took part in a convoy of about 300 vehicles and armored vehicles traveling to besieged Jerusalem on April 20, 1948.

He was killed in fighting near Sha’ar Hagai along with 13 other members of the convoy and was buried on April 22, 1948, at the military cemetery in Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim.

The IDF said a special investigative team established in 2024 carried out document analysis, witness interviews, soil examinations and archaeological surveys before determining Zrihan’s burial location.

Members of Zrihan’s family, including his sisters, were informed Tuesday evening of the investigation’s conclusion by Chief Human Resources Officer and Head of the IDF Casualties Division Brig. Gen. Edna Ilya.

A state military ceremony will be held in the coming weeks to place a memorial headstone bearing Zrihan’s name at the cemetery in Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim.

“Following a comprehensive investigation, today we reached a deeply moving moment of closure. We informed the family of Jacob Zrihan of the investigation’s findings and the discovery of their loved one, who fell in battle 78 years ago. It is a privilege for us to continue acting out of a deep moral commitment to bring comfort and accompany bereaved families,” Ilya said.

His sister, Yvonne Cohen, said: “For me, finding his burial place means the world. I will call my sons so they can say Kaddish at his grave for the first time.”