During the excavations for the construction of a light-rail train track in the Ammunition Hill region in Jerusalem, workers were astounded to discover a body.
With a ring on his finger and accompanied by various artifacts that were affiliated with the Jordanian army, the body was transferred to the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir. Following initial exams, the assessments are that the body belongs to a Jordanian soldier who fought at the site during the Six Day War.
Police immediately opened an investigation into the matter.
"He waited for us 54 years," Ammunition Hill Director-General Katri Maoz said in a Facebook post. "Stationed at his post with all of his equipment, determined to fight."
"He may have been twirling the golden ring at his finger, perhaps a gift from his family. That is what he held in his final moments. 'Here lie brave Jordanian fighters' reads the sign at the head of the Hill, a sign written by paratroopers at the end of the war, and he undoubtedly joins their ranks.
"We are touching history," Maoz added.
This is not the first time the construction work at the site has revealed remnants from the Jordanian fighting. Several days ago, workers uncovered bomb shards, some of which appeared to contain explosives.
Ammunition Hill was a Jordanian army post in the Jordanian-ruled East Jerusalem during the Six Day War of 1967, upon which one of the fiercest battles was fought. It is now a national memorial site.
Translated by Hadas Labrisch.