Zvi Feldman (; also transliterated Tzvi Feldman; 29 December 1956 – 11 June 1982) was an Israel Defense Forces soldier who was declared missing in action following the Battle of Sultan Yacoub in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley on 11 June 1982, during the 1982 Lebanon War. Feldman was one of three Israeli soldiers - along with Zechariah Baumel and Yehuda Katz - whose fate remained unknown for decades after the battle. His remains were recovered from Syria in a covert operation led by Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces and were returned to Israel on 11 May 2025, nearly 43 years after he went missing. He was buried with military honors at the Holon Military Cemetery on 12 May 2025.
Early life Feldman was born on 29 December 1956 in Tel Aviv, the eldest of four children. His father, Avraham, had immigrated to Israel from Europe after losing his entire family in the Holocaust; Zvi was named after his paternal grandfather, who was murdered by the Nazis. His mother, Penina, had immigrated to Israel from Morocco.
After completing his mandatory military service, Feldman worked as a nature guide for high-school groups and had been accepted to university for the autumn 1982 semester. He was described by his family as soft-spoken and artistic, and at the time of his disappearance he was reportedly considering marriage to his girlfriend.
Battle of Sultan Yacoub and disappearance
On 11 June 1982, during the opening days of the 1982 Lebanon War, an Israeli armored column was ambushed by Syrian forces near the village of Sultan Yacoub in the Beqaa Valley, in what became known as the Battle of Sultan Yacoub. Twenty-one Israeli soldiers were killed and dozens more wounded in the fighting. Six soldiers were initially listed as missing; one, Zohar Lifshitz, was later confirmed killed, and two others, Hezi Shai and Eric Lieberman, were released by Syria - Lieberman shortly after the battle and Shai in a 1984 prisoner exchange. The remaining three - Feldman, Zechariah Baumel, and Yehuda Katz - were never released, and their fate remained unknown for decades.
Missing in action For nearly 43 years, Feldman's status remained unresolved. His family, together with the families of Baumel and Katz, campaigned publicly and met with Israeli and foreign officials in an effort to determine his fate. Israel continued efforts over the following decades to locate the remains of Feldman and his two fellow missing soldiers.
Recovery and burial On 11 May 2025, the Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces jointly announced that Feldman's remains had been recovered in a covert operation conducted deep inside Syrian territory. According to Israeli media reports, the operation followed months of intelligence work made possible by the fall of the Assad government, and involved agents operating under cover inside Syria who located a burial site and, after building rapport with local guards, exhumed the remains. Feldman's identity was confirmed through DNA testing at Israel's center for the identification of fallen soldiers, together with the recovery of his tank overalls.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz both issued statements following the announcement. Feldman was buried with military honors at the Holon Military Cemetery on 12 May 2025, in a funeral attended by hundreds of mourners, including Mossad director David Barnea. His sister, Anat, and brothers, Yitzhak and Shlomo, spoke at the funeral.
See also Battle of Sultan Yacoub Zechariah Baumel Yehuda Katz Israeli MIAs
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