The burial site of Private Arthur Gessner, an Israeli soldier killed in 1949 during the War of Independence and long-listed as missing, has been identified
Private Arthur Gasner was killed in action on April 20, 1949 during the War of Independence, in the Lachish area, during an operation carried out by the Negev Brigade, and was listed as a fallen soldier whose burial site is unknown.
"Following a strenuous investigation led by the missing persons department in the IDF's casualty division, which lasted over five years, his burial place was found," the IDF says.
According to the army's investigation, 12 soldiers were killed in the exchange of fire with Arab infiltrators in the Lachish area, three of whom were initially declared missing: Gasner, Pvt. Gabriel Magnaji, and Pvt. Kalman Chepnik.
It was later revealed that their bodies were taken by Arabs to a cave near the Palestinian town of Idhna, which at the time was in Jordanian territory. On May 6, 1949, IDF troops recovered the bodies of Magnaji and Kalman, while Gasner's burial place was thought to be unknown.
In 2020, the IDF relaunched its investigation into Gasner's disappearance and found that his body was buried alongside Magnaji and Chepnik in Rehovot's cemetery.
Last week, the IDF notified Gasner's family that the investigation had concluded. The military says it will soon hold a ceremony to add a headstone with Gasner's name on it to the burial site.
PHOTO Source: IDF Use according to Section 27 A