The resting place of Private Dov Broder, an IDF soldier who was killed during a military operation in the War of Independence in 1948 and has been considered MIA, since has been located following a decade-long investigation by the IDF’s Missing Persons Unit.
More stories:
Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, Head of the IDF Manpower Directorate, informed Broder's family of the discovery of his burial place. Broder's widow, 95-year-old Batya, said she remembered her late husband every Memorial Day.
"I never gave up,” she said. “We took part in a youth movement together, we served in the army together, and suddenly he disappeared. I didn't know who to turn to, or where to find answers. He made sure to always stay in contact," she said.
"This is not a joyous occasion, but one that ends the uncertainty, and from our perspective, it's a moral and ethical obligation that we owe Dov, as a military, as commanders, and as a nation." Maj. Gen. Asor said.
Following the fighting in 1948, one grave in a military cemetery in Petah Tikva was designated as anonymous. In 2006, an investigation led by the Missing Persons Unit began in an attempt to recover the identity of the soldier who was buried there.
3 View gallery
Batya Broder and Maj. Gen. Yariv Asor following the investigation
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Since then, various efforts have been made to identify the anonymous soldier, including a thorough examination of documents and relevant testimonies from the time, questioning of witnesses from the battles, analysis of the battles themselves, inspections into the evacuation of the casualties, and anthropological examinations.
“The investigation’s findings bring forth a clear sequence of events detailing Dov Broder’s recruitment to the IDF as a driver in the Armored Corps, the impact to his armored vehicle during the battle, his evacuation to the hospital, and finally his burial at the military cemetery,” the IDF’s Spokesperson’s Unit said. “This process led to uncovering the anonymous soldier buried in the cemetery as being Broder himself.”
IDF SOLDIER IDENTIFIED after 75 YRS; HIS 95-YEAR OLD WIDOW INFORMED
(ILTV)
On May 13, 1948, the IDF’s Alexandroni Brigade embarked on Operation Medina, aimed at capturing Kfar Saba in order to secure the border in the Qalqilya district before the expected invasion by the armies of the neighboring Arab states into Israel following the declaration of independence.
Broder participated in the battle as an armored vehicle driver and engaged with enemy forces while trying to aid another military unit. He was killed after his vehicle came under artillery fire.
3 View gallery
IDF soldiers during the War of Independence in 1948
(Photo Yithak Eisenshtark, KKL-JNF Archive)
Broder’s body was not identified among the casualties, and he was considered missing in action with his burial site remaining unknown.
"In the near future a ceremony will be held to replace the anonymous headstone in the cemetery with one holding Dov Border’s name after 75 years,” the military said in a statement.
As part of the investigation, testimonies and documents were examined, indicating the fallen soldier who arrived at the hospital in Petah Tikva wore a gold ring that fit the description provided by Border’s widow. Additionally, Border was the only soldier who wore a ring during the operation. The ring itself, however, has yet to be found.