Man who discovered missing soldier’s remains now seeks cash reward

The man who discovered the remains of Majdi Halabi said Sunday that he seeks to collect on a $10 million reward previously offered for assistance in locating the missing IDF soldier.

The organization Born to Freedom, which had extended the bounty, shut down in January due to cuts in the defense budget.

Ibrahim Kuzli happened upon Pvt. Halabi’s remains in September while clearing brush some two kilometers from the soldier’s home in the Druze village of Daliyat al-Karmel.

He told Ynet, “I deserve a reward for finding the body, and I’m not giving up on the money.” Kuzli said he is considering suing the now-defunct organization.

Halabi went missing in May 2005 while attempting to hitchhike back to his army base. He was laid to rest in a military cemetery in Isfiya on Friday afternoon amid a throng of 2,000 attendees.

Ilan Ben Zion contributed to this report.