IDF airs footage showing return of soldier Zvi Feldman’s body to Israel, 43 years after he went missing

The IDF releases footage showing the moment the remains of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman were returned to Israel, nearly 43 years after he went missing in the First Lebanon War’s battle of Sultan Yacoub.

The video shows a coffin draped in an Israeli flag, as troops recite the Mourner’s Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead.

The remains, which were in a complex state, due to the passage of time, were taken for identification some two weeks ago. Once the identification process was completed early this morning, Feldman’s family was updated.

The tank soldier’s overalls were also recovered, and were identified by the head of the Intelligence Directorate’s missing persons unit, who himself served in the Armored Corps in his youth.

This video released by the IDF on May 11, 2025, shows troops reciting the Jewish prayer for the dead upon receiving the remains of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, who went missing in 1982. (Israel Defense Forces)