Recovering the remains of the casualties in the Nachal Akhziv bridge bombings
Fourteen warriors did not return from the Akhziv bridges' operation, held on the night of the 16th to the 17th of June 1946, as part of the 'Night of the Bridges' operation.
Fourteen warriors did not return from the Akhziv bridges' operation, held on the night of the 16th to the 17th of June 1946, as part of the 'Night of the Bridges' operation. Aside from Yechiam Veitz, whose body was found and brought to burial in a mass funeral at Mt. Olive in Jerusalem, none of other casualties' bodies were ever found. In an announcement of the British army HQ, published the day after the operation, it said that four Jews were killed in an explosion and two others were found dead by fire during the operation.
'Hevra Kaddisha' (Jewish burial society) men went to the explosion site escorted by a British sergeant and Hagana intelligence members disguised as undertakers, to search for the bodies or remains of the casualties. They collected sacks with body remains for an entire day. The remains were buried in a common grave in the cemetery nearby the Carmel shore. A few months later, a tombstone was laid on the common grave with the inscription: "Here are buried body parts that were torn to shreds, the holy remains of those who perished in the battle near 'A-Zib' (Akhziv) bridges."
Different rumors ran for a long time regarding the fate of the Akhziv bridges casualties. Immediately following the casualty, the Hagana ran a wide investigation aimed at gathering information on the matter. One assumption was that some of the warriors had escaped to the mountains and were waiting until the danger was past. Other rumors had it that some of the missing warriors were injured and captured by the British or transferred to Syria by the Arabs. The 'Mistaarvim' collected reports from the Arab residents in the area, from guards that were on the bridge and from British soldiers. Buttons, parts of watches and shreds of pens were collected from the site. Additional remnants and pieces of equipment were transferred by the A-Zib village Arabs to the "Mukhtar" of kibbutz Mezzuva and were buried inside a backpack in the kibbutz cemetery. The findings at the site only strengthened the fear that all the missing warriors died in the explosion.
However, the Hagana and Palmach couldn't accept the fact that these remnants were all that was left of the 13 warriors. On July 23rd, "Kol Israel" broadcasted: "Where are the 13 missing warriors?! Only the authority can answer that riddle…it is inconceivable that such an explosion would turn 13 warriors into dust." On December 5th, 1946, Yisrael Galili, chief of the Hagana national HQ, wrote to the casualties' families that some of the missing bodies were collected by British army personnel, who buried them discreetly.
The false rumors continued to bring some sparkle of hope to the families. Meanwhile, a memorial was established for the casualties near the Akhziv Bridges. The families hardly visit the common grave, whose tombstone has covered in dirt and is surrounded by wild vegetation. The prevalent public assumption is that a mystery surrounds the 13 warriors' fate.
'Hevra Kaddisha' (Jewish burial society) men went to the explosion site escorted by a British sergeant and Hagana intelligence members disguised as undertakers, to search for the bodies or remains of the casualties. They collected sacks with body remains for an entire day. The remains were buried in a common grave in the cemetery nearby the Carmel shore. A few months later, a tombstone was laid on the common grave with the inscription: "Here are buried body parts that were torn to shreds, the holy remains of those who perished in the battle near 'A-Zib' (Akhziv) bridges."
Different rumors ran for a long time regarding the fate of the Akhziv bridges casualties. Immediately following the casualty, the Hagana ran a wide investigation aimed at gathering information on the matter. One assumption was that some of the warriors had escaped to the mountains and were waiting until the danger was past. Other rumors had it that some of the missing warriors were injured and captured by the British or transferred to Syria by the Arabs. The 'Mistaarvim' collected reports from the Arab residents in the area, from guards that were on the bridge and from British soldiers. Buttons, parts of watches and shreds of pens were collected from the site. Additional remnants and pieces of equipment were transferred by the A-Zib village Arabs to the "Mukhtar" of kibbutz Mezzuva and were buried inside a backpack in the kibbutz cemetery. The findings at the site only strengthened the fear that all the missing warriors died in the explosion.
However, the Hagana and Palmach couldn't accept the fact that these remnants were all that was left of the 13 warriors. On July 23rd, "Kol Israel" broadcasted: "Where are the 13 missing warriors?! Only the authority can answer that riddle…it is inconceivable that such an explosion would turn 13 warriors into dust." On December 5th, 1946, Yisrael Galili, chief of the Hagana national HQ, wrote to the casualties' families that some of the missing bodies were collected by British army personnel, who buried them discreetly.
The false rumors continued to bring some sparkle of hope to the families. Meanwhile, a memorial was established for the casualties near the Akhziv Bridges. The families hardly visit the common grave, whose tombstone has covered in dirt and is surrounded by wild vegetation. The prevalent public assumption is that a mystery surrounds the 13 warriors' fate.