IDF Soldier Yaakov Zrihan's Burial Site Found After Nearly 80 Years

After nearly 80 years, the burial site of IDF soldier Yaakov Zrihan has been identified following a 15-year investigation. Zrihan fell in 1948 during Operation Harel while participating in a convoy to besieged Jerusalem, dying in combat near Sha'ar HaGai. His burial location had remained unknown until now.

Zrihan was buried in a mass grave at the Kiryat Anavim military cemetery alongside seven other soldiers who took part in the same operation. The investigation was led by the IDF's Missing Persons Unit within the Casualties Division and involved extensive research including document analysis, witness interviews, ground surveys, and archaeological studies.

Yaakov Zrihan immigrated to Israel from Casablanca, Morocco, in December 1947 aboard the immigrant ship "HaPoretz" and joined the "Sneh" training group. He enlisted in the IDF on April 12, 1948, serving as a driver in the Etzioni Brigade. He was killed on April 20, 1948, during a convoy of about 300 vehicles and armored transports heading to Jerusalem.

The family was informed of the findings by Brigadier General Edna Ilia, Chief Personnel Officer and head of the Casualties Division, who described the closure as an emotional milestone. Zrihan's sister, Yvonne Cohen, expressed relief and said she would call her sons so they could recite the Kaddish prayer at his grave for the first time. A state military ceremony will soon be held to place a gravestone in his honor at Kiryat Anavim.

This discovery brings closure to a long-standing mystery surrounding the fate of one of the IDF's fallen from the 1948 war, reaffirming the military's commitment to locating and honoring missing soldiers.