The remains of an Israeli soldier who fell in battle in the First Lebanon War have been returned to his family, the IDF has confirmed.
Staff Sergeant Yehuda Yekutiel Katz, an Armoured Corps soldier, was killed in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub on June 11, 1982, and has been classified as missing ever since.
Now, after 44 years, his family will finally have the chance to lay him to rest with a funeral in Israel, the details of which are yet to be confirmed.
Katz was returned in an operation led by the Intelligence Directorate and the Mossad, the IDF announced in an official statement. Once on Israeli soil, an identification process was conducted at the Military Rabbinate’s Fallen Soldiers Identification Center, in cooperation with the Medical Corps and Israel Police.
Katz’s family had been kept informed of efforts to locate his body over the years and were notified once he was returned, though sadly his parents, Sarah and Yosef Katz, “did not live to receive the news,” the IDF said.
“His return to Israel was made possible through efforts based on precise intelligence, as part of a series of intelligence and operational activities that continued for more than four decades, since his fall in battle.”
The development “marks a long-awaited conclusion” of the search for those who fell at the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, the military added, after the remains of Staff Sergeant Zachary Baumel were returned to Israel in 2019 and those of Staff Sergeant Tzvika Feldman in 2025.
Speaking on Tuesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said: “The return of Yehuda Katz, the last fallen soldier from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, is a significant milestone for the IDF and the State of Israel.
“Decades have passed, but our obligation to those who fell has not changed – we will leave none of our people behind.
“Today, we are bringing Yehuda back to an Israeli burial, to his family, and to his homeland, bringing to a conclusion a painful story that began more than four decades ago.
“The memory of the soldiers who fell at Sultan Yacoub will forever remain part of the IDF’s legacy and our commitment to future generations.”
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