Private Dov Peremet, may his memory be blessed, fell in battle in the Malkia area in 1948, and his burial place was unknown. After an intensive investigation led by the Missing Persons Unit in the IDF’s Casualties Division, which lasted over five years, his burial place was located.
Private Dov Peremet, may his memory be blessed
On June 5, 1948, Company A of the 11th Battalion of the “Oded” Brigade (9) encountered enemy forces while on a mission to defend the northern border and the Malkia area. Following an attack by a Lebanese-Syrian brigade, a battle ensued, and Dov Peremet, may his memory be blessed, fell in its aftermath.
After years of diligent efforts to locate remains for reburial, a special investigation team (Tzaham) was established in 2020. This team conducted numerous and diverse investigative operations to locate Peremet’s burial site. The investigation included document analysis, witness debriefings, soil analysis, and archaeological surveys. All these led to the conclusion that Peremet, may his memory be blessed, was buried in a mass grave at Maoz Haim along with 16 other IDF fallen soldiers from the 1948 battles in Malkia.
His family, including Dov’s niece, may his memory be blessed, received an update yesterday from the Chief of Human Resources Officer and Head of the Casualties Division, Major General Edna Ilia, regarding the conclusion of the investigation and the unraveling of the mystery of his disappearance.
In the coming period, the circle will be closed, almost 78 years later, and a state military ceremony will be held to place a headstone in the name of Dov Peremet, may his memory be blessed, at the military cemetery in Maoz Haim.
The Missing Persons Unit operates and continues its efforts to locate IDF fallen soldiers whose burial places are unknown, with a deep sense of commitment to all bereaved families. Even in these days, the IDF continues to operate with moral and ethical commitment to return the missing and fallen.
“The IDF and the Missing Persons Unit investigate cases of missing and fallen soldiers whose burial places have been unknown for many years,” stated the Chief of Human Resources Officer and Head of the Casualties Division, Major General Edna Iliahu. “This stems from the IDF’s moral imperative and duty to bring its fallen to burial in a Jewish grave. It is our duty to return those who fell for the country.”
In a moving meeting, the evening before the Passover holiday, we gathered to present Dov Peremet’s family, may his memory be blessed, with the findings of the investigation, which determined that Dov was buried after falling in battle in the mass grave at Maoz Haim on November 18, 1948. This was after he was transferred there from the temporary mass grave of Palmach fallen, who were buried by the enemy on Givat HaEtz in Kibbutz Malkia. It is an honor for us to be part of an army that does not rest even after a long time, and works to bring solace to the families of the fallen.
“For us, this is the ‘Exodus from Egypt’ news,” shared Dov Peremet’s family, may his memory be blessed, “from years of uncertainty and darkness, with no knowledge of the fate of Dov Peremet’s body.”