"We are people of good news, and it is connected to the national ethos of the State of Israel"

An extensive profile piece on the IDF's Unit for Locating Missing Persons (Ithan), which works to find fallen soldiers whose burial places are unknown, from the War of Independence to the present day. Senior unit members, Yuki Oliel and S., describe the methods, emotional and technological challenges, and the determination to provide answers to families while avoiding false expectations. The unit has succeeded in reducing the number of missing from approximately 3,000 to 166.

An extensive profile piece on the IDF's Unit for Locating Missing Persons and Fallen Soldiers Whose Burial Places Are Unknown (Ithan). The article presents the unit's work through the words of two of its senior members, Yuki Oliel (head of a special investigation team) and S., who describe the many challenges involved in locating fallen soldiers from the War of Independence, the Yom Kippur War, the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, and other events. The unit, established by the Israeli Air Force during the Yom Kippur War, now operates under the Manpower Directorate and relies on 700 reservists. Its personnel combine investigations, field searches, advanced technologies (including 3D models), work with archives, and study of the Arab side through interviews with local witnesses. Oliel emphasizes the importance of presenting reliable information to families and avoiding fostering false expectations, using circumstantial evidence when DNA sampling is not possible. The unit has succeeded in reducing the number of missing from approximately 3,000 in 1973 to 166 today. S. notes that during the "Swords of Iron" war (2023-2025), the unit operated intensively and succeeded in ending the war with no missing soldiers, an achievement he calls "crazy."