78-year-old mystery solved: IDF soldier located in mass grave
Private Dov (Duba) Formet fell in battle in 1948, and until today, the location of his grave was unknown; an IDF investigation has determined he was buried in a mass grave with 16 other soldiers
The IDF announced Wednesday that it has resolved a 78-year mystery surrounding the fate of fallen soldier Private Dov (Duba) Formet, who was killed during the War of Independence. Following a years-long investigation by the IDF Missing Persons Unit, officials determined that Premet was buried in a mass grave at Maoz Haim alongside 16 other soldiers who fell in the same campaign.
Formet was killed in 1948 during fighting in the Malkia area, and his burial place had remained unknown ever since. The breakthrough comes after more than five years of intensive investigative work aimed at locating his remains.
According to the findings, on June 5, 1948, Company A of the 11th Battalion of the Oded Brigade encountered enemy forces while defending the northern border near Malkia. During a battle against a combined Lebanese-Syrian force, Formet was killed in action.
In 2020, a special investigation team was established to reexamine the case. The team conducted a wide-ranging inquiry that included archival research, witness testimonies, soil analysis, and archaeological surveys. These efforts ultimately led investigators to conclude that Formet was laid to rest in a shared grave at Maoz Haim with other fallen soldiers from the same battle.
Family members were informed of the findings on Tuesday by senior IDF officials, including the head of the Casualties Division, Brig. Gen. Edna Elia. A state military ceremony is expected to take place in the near future, during which a headstone bearing Formet's name will be placed at the Maoz Haim military cemetery.
In a statement, the family described the development as a moment of long-awaited closure after decades of uncertainty. “For us, this is a message of ‘Exodus from Egypt’ — from years of uncertainty and darkness,” they said, referring to the decades-long absence of information about his fate.