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Israeli MIA are members of the Israel Defense Forces who are missing in action. Despite efforts to locate and repatriate them, their whereabouts remain unknown. Every year, a state ceremony is held at Mount Herzl, Israel's military cemetery in Jerusalem.
In the Yom Kippur War 301 Israelis were captured by Syria and Egypt, 232 of whom by the Egyptians, 65 by the Syrians and 4 by the Lebanese. The majority of them were captured in the first stage of that war. Some Israeli soldiers reported after their release about the difficult conditions they faced: they were severely beaten by their captors, sometimes making them unconscious, while many reported that they were being investigated under torture.
During the Hamas October 7 invasion of Israel, 251 people were abducted from Israel into the Gaza strip. Of these, at least 23 were IDF soldiers, while the rest were Israeli civilians (both Jewish and non-Jewish), and foreign workers. Seven of the soldiers taken hostage were taken from the Nahal Oz military base, near the Kibbutz Nahal Oz, during the Nahal Oz attack. All seven were females. One was rescued three weeks after being taken hostage, the body of another was recovered in November 2023, and the other five were released in January 2025 as part of the second Gaza war ceasefire. The remainder of the soldiers taken captive include Colonel Asaf Hamami, the highest ranking officer whose body was abducted, Sergeant Major Muhammad Alatrash an Israeli from the Bedouin community, and Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American citizen. Alexander was released on May 12, 2025 as a "gesture of goodwill toward US President Donald Trump."
The remains of several Israeli soldiers missing and killed in action have been recovered.
| Name | Date Missing/Killed | Circumstance | Date Recovered | Circumstance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Gasner | 20 April 1949 | Killed and body taken to Idna | 6 May 1949 / 15 May 2025 |
His body was recovered 6 May 1949 along with the bodies of his fellow soldiers. His body was identified on 15 May 2025, having been considered an MIA for 76 years. |
| Zachary Baumel | 10–11 June 1982 | Battle of Sultan Yacoub | 4 April 2019 | Operation Bittersweet Song |
| Zvi Feldman | 11 May 2025 | Mossad Operation | ||
| Yehuda Katz | 17 August 2026 | Recovert in an operation led by the Military Intelligence Directorate, in coordination with the Mossad. | ||
| Nachshon Wachsman | 9 October 1994 | Abduction and killing of Nachshon Wachsman | 14 October 1994 | Rescue Attempt |
| Ehud Goldwasser | 12 July 2006 | Operation Truthful Promise | 16 July 2008 | Prisoner Exchange |
| Eldad Regev | 12 July 2006 | Operation Truthful Promise | 16 July 2008 | Prisoner Exchange |
| Gilad Shalit | 25 June 2006 | 2006 Gaza cross-border raid | 18 October 2011 | Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange |
| Oron Shaul | 20 July 2014 | Battle of Shuja'iyya | 19 January 2025 | ISA/Shabak Operation |
| Hadar Goldin | 1 August 2014 | 2014 Gaza War | 9 November 2025 | Returned by Hamas in accordance to the Gaza peace plan |
According to Reuben Yardor, a military intelligence leader of the Yom Kippur War, the automatic assumption they made was that all that's known to their captured soldiers is also known to the captors.
Several publicized stories of Israeli prisoners of war were: