Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today that the body of Sergeant Major (Rasamal) Zvi "Zvika" Feldman, an Armored Corps soldier killed in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub in June 1982 during Operation Peace for the Galilee, has been returned to Israel. The recovery was the result of a special operation conducted by the Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
"For decades, Zvika was missing, and efforts to locate him, alongside the other missing soldiers from that battle, never ceased for a moment," Prime Minister Netanyahu stated.
The prime minister noted the ongoing commitment to resolving cases of missing soldiers, referencing a previous success: "About six years ago, we brought Sergeant Major Zecharia Baumel z"l for burial in Israel. Today, we have brought Zvika z"l home, and we will not stop acting to bring back Sergeant Major Yehuda Katz, who is still missing from that same battle."
Netanyahu revealed his long-term involvement in the search efforts. "For many years, I authorized numerous secret operations to locate the missing from Sultan Yacoub, and I promised the Feldman family that I would never stop working to bring Zvika home."
Addressing the soldier's family, the prime minister said, "The dear parents, Penina and Avraham, never ceased to work on this matter and, to our sorrow, have since passed away. We are returning dear Zvika to you – Itzik, Shlomo, and Anat – to you and to the soil of the Land of Israel that he loved so much."
Netanyahu extended his gratitude to the intelligence and military bodies involved: "I wish to thank the Mossad, the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the Coordinator for POWs and MIAs, Gal Hirsch, for decades of efforts and for their valuable, determined, and courageous actions to bring Zvika home and to return all our missing and captive individuals – both the living and the deceased."
He concluded by reaffirming the nation's dedication, saygin: "The State of Israel and the government of Israel under my leadership are fully committed to this. As the prophet Jeremiah said: 'And there is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children shall return to their own border.'"
