After 44 years, the remains of Staff Sgt. Yehuda Yekutiel Katz, an armored corps soldier who fell in the Battle of Sultan Yaakov on 20 Sivan 5742, June 11, 1982, during the First Lebanon War, have been brought to Israel. Katz was listed as missing from the time of the battle until his remains were returned to Israel.
The IDF, led by the Intelligence Directorate and in cooperation with the Mossad for Intelligence and Special Operations, returned Katz's remains to his family and to Israel. After the remains were brought to the country, an identification process was conducted at the Military Rabbinate's Casualty Identification Center, in cooperation with the Medical Corps and the Israel Police.
Katz's family was kept updated over the years about the ongoing efforts to locate him and bring him home. Once the mission was completed, the family was informed of his return, but his parents, Sarah and Yosef Katz, had passed away and did not live to receive the news.
His return was made possible through efforts based on precise intelligence and a series of intelligence and operational activities that continued for more than four decades after he fell in battle. Over the years, the issue was handled by the POWs and Missing Persons Coordinators in the Prime Minister's Office, operational units of the Mossad and Military Intelligence, together with the Shin Bet and the IDF Manpower Directorate.
Katz's return completes the mission of bringing home all those missing from the Battle of Sultan Yaakov. In previous operations, the remains of Staff Sgt. Zachary Baumel were returned to Israel in 2019, and those of Staff Sgt. Zvi Feldman were returned in 2025.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said, "The return of Yehuda Katz, the last fallen soldier from the Battle of Sultan Yaakov, is a significant moment for the IDF and the State of Israel. Decades have passed, but our obligation to our fallen has not changed-we will leave none of our people behind."
Zamir added, "Today we return Yehuda to an Israeli grave, to his family and to our homeland, closing a painful circle that began more than four decades ago. The memory of the soldiers who fell at Sultan Yaakov will forever remain part of the IDF's heritage and our commitment to future generations."
Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, a former deputy defense minister who took part in the Battle of Sultan Yaakov, reacted emotionally: "I feel chills this morning. The circle has been closed on the tremendous effort to save the armored battalion that was caught in a Syrian ambush. We leave no one behind. The eternal nation is not afraid of a long journey."
The Battle of Sultan Yaakov, fought on June 11, 1982, during Operation Peace for Galilee, is considered one of the most difficult and complex battles in IDF history. Israeli forces sent to seize a strategic junction near the village of Sultan Yaakov were caught in an ambush by Syrian forces, while also facing operational confusion and friendly fire during the fighting.
At the end of the battle, 20 IDF soldiers were killed, dozens were wounded and six soldiers were listed as missing. Over the years, the fate of three of them became known: Zohar Lifshitz was killed and his body was returned after the war; Eric Lieberman was released from Syrian captivity; and Hezi Shai was released as part of the Jibril prisoner exchange. The three remaining missing soldiers-Baumel, Feldman and Katz-became symbols of Israel's efforts to bring its missing soldiers home.
The discovery of Yehuda Katz's remains brings an end to a painful chapter that lasted 44 years and represents closure for his family and for the State of Israel, which continued its intelligence and operational efforts over the years to bring home all those missing from the battle.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "In a special operation by the IDF and the Mossad, we brought home the remains of Armored Corps fighter, Sgt. First Class Yehuda Yekutiel Katz, of blessed memory, who fell in battle at Sultan Yacoub in June 1982 during the First Lebanon War."
"About seven years ago, we returned Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel, of blessed memory, to burial in Israel. In May 2025 we returned Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, of blessed memory. And not for a moment did we cease the work to return Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz, of blessed memory, who was missing from the same battle."
"Throughout the years, I authorized numerous covert operations to locate the missing of Sultan Yacoub. I promised their families that we would never cease working to return them home."
"Today all of us, the entire nation of Israel, embrace the Katz family. The dear parents, Sarah and Yosef, of blessed memory, had worked incessantly to locate and return him, and to our sorrow have already passed away. We are returning dear Yehuda to you, the siblings, Avi and Perachia - to you and to the soil of the Land of Israel that he loved so much."
"I wish to thank the IDF, the Mossad, the Shin Bet, and the Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing for many years of efforts and for their determined and courageous action to return Yehuda, of blessed memory, and to return all of our missing and hostages, the living and the fallen alike."
"The State of Israel and the Government of Israel under my leadership remain committed to this task, and will continue to carry it out. As the prophet Jeremiah said: "And there is hope for your future, says the Lord, and the children shall return to their own border" ."