The bodies of five of the seven Israeli soldiers who were declared missing after the 1948 battle of Tel Arish have been identified, the IDF's Unit for Soldiers Missing in Action announced on Monday.
The men have been identified as First Lieutenant Yehiel Rosenfeld, Private David Kochavi, Private Itzhak Hamami, Private Yehoshua Lustig and a fifth soldier, whose family has not yet been notified.
The identification of the soldiers was made possible due to advanced DNA tests that took place in a special lab in the United States.
Four of the five identified solders (Photo: Courtesy of IDF Spokesperson)
The battle of Tel Arish was part of Israel 'sWar of Independence and was fought to gain free access to the Jerusalem-Jaffa road.
The Givati Brigade was able to conquer the village, but lost 19 fighters with seven others missing. The remains of the five soldiers recently identified were found in unmarked graves at the Nahalat Itzhak cemetery.
"I don't know if I am more happy or sad," Aharon Peled, the brother of Yehiel Rosenfeld told Ynet. "The tragedy is a tragedy. Even after 60 years, going back and experiencing this trauma again was not easy, but this is life."
David Lustig, brother of Yehoshua Lustig reacted to the news very emotionally, saying, "I'm glad it's over. Today I am 88-years-old, not so young anymore, and I have experienced a lot in my life, but I am still very moved.
"I knew all seven of them, they were good young men. It's sad that only five of them were identified."
According to the Unit for Soldiers Missing in Action, the remains of 195 solders have yet to be located, and the fates of ten other missing soldiers remain unknown.