Yohanan Elishuv, last surviving fighter who raised Eilat's Ink Flag in 1948, dies at 95
During the first truce in June 1948, Elishuv was transferred to the southern front under Uzi Narkiss. He was wounded after driving over a mine, but returned to combat after recovering.
Yohanan Elishuv, who was the last remaining fighter who participated in raising the Ink Flag in Umm Rashrash during Israel's War of Independence, passed away at the age of 95. An accomplished member of the Palmach, Elishuv played a vital role in various battles along the path to Jerusalem and in the Negev. The raising of the makeshift Israeli flag at Umm Rashrash on March 10, 1949, is considered symbolic of the end of the War of Independence.
Elishuv was born in Petah Tikva to Russian-Jewish immigrants, and despite struggling with dyslexia, he joined the Palmach at the age of 15 by falsifying his age. His connection with Haim Poznanski, the commander of Company B of the Palmach's Fourth Battalion, began when Elishuv fixed a mechanical issue in Poznanski's vehicle. After the bloody battle at Nabi Samuel, Elishuv helped organize the retreat and evacuated wounded fighters.
During the battles for Jerusalem, he rescued future IDF chiefs of staff Rafael Eitan and David Dado Elazar. After serving in the Artillery Corps reserves, Elishuv worked as a heavy-vehicle driver for Solel Boneh and later volunteered for a diabetes association. He is survived by three children and is to be buried at Segula Cemetery in Petah Tikva.
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