Israel Recovers Remains of Soldier Missing Since 1982

The Israel Defense Forces announced it has successfully recovered and returned the remains of Staff Sergeant Yehuda Yekutiel Katz, an armored corps soldier who fell during the Battle of Sultan Yacoub on June 11, 1982, during the First Lebanon War. Katz had been classified as missing in action until now.

The operation was led by Military Intelligence (Aman) in collaboration with the Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency responsible for operations beyond its borders. Following the recovery, identification procedures were conducted at the IDF Rabbinate's Center for Identification of Fallen Soldiers, with assistance from the Medical Corps and Israel Police.

Throughout the years, Katz's family was kept informed of ongoing efforts to locate and return their loved one. With the mission's completion, the family has now been notified of his return. Sadly, Yehuda's parents, Sarah and Yosef Katz, did not live to receive this news.

The successful recovery resulted from precise intelligence work as part of intelligence and operational activities spanning more than four decades since his death in battle. Over the years, coordinators for prisoners and missing persons in the Prime Minister's Office worked alongside operational units in the Mossad and Military Intelligence, together with the Shin Bet security service and the IDF's Manpower Directorate.

This recovery completes a circle, joining previous operations that returned Staff Sergeant Zacharia Baumel in 2019 and Staff Sergeant Zvi Feldman in 2025. With Katz's return, the mission to recover all missing soldiers from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub has been completed.

The mission's success was made possible through years of sustained research and intelligence gathering. The IDF and Mossad extend their condolences to the family and continue working to return all missing personnel.

IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir stated: "The return of Yehuda Katz, the last fallen soldier from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, is a significant moment for the IDF and for the State of Israel. Decades have passed, but our obligation to our fallen has not changed, we will not leave any of our people behind. Today we return Yehuda to be buried in Israel, to his family and to our land, and we close a painful circle that began more than four decades ago. The memory of the fighters who fell at Sultan Yacoub will forever remain part of the IDF's legacy and our commitment to future generations."