Maj. Assaf Dagan laid to rest in military ceremony after court order approves

The family of Major Assaf Dagan, a battle navigator who tragically took his own life, announced on Monday that they are invited the public to join them in his final journey: A military ceremony was held at the Sde Yehoshua cemetery in Haifa, near Shaar Tamar, on Tuesday afternoon.

This announcement follows a ruling by the High Court of Justice last week, which concluded a lengthy legal struggle for Dagan’s full military burial in accordance with mandatory military protocol. However, the Court determined that, under the law, it was not possible to order Dagan's burial in a military cemetery.

Dagan was laid to rest in a military funeral at the Sde Yehoshua cemetery (Kfar Samir), located near the site of several tragic events, including the attacks on the Maxim and Matza restaurants. His burial plot lies just a few hundred meters from the Haifa military cemetery, where he had originally been intended to be buried. In his honor, David Daur and Leah Shabbat performed at the ceremony.

'Unofficial' call-up

Major Dagan, who ended his life after years of struggling with severe post-traumatic stress from his military service, had been called up for reserve duty via a WhatsApp message rather than through official channels. 

As a result, the IDF refused to recognize him as a member of the military. The family has since received numerous affidavits from reservists across various units, corroborating their claim that they, too, had been called up via WhatsApp in recent years—a practice acknowledged by senior IDF officials who spoke with the Dagan family.