The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit officially confirmed Tuesday evening that the remains of Master Sgt. Yehuda Yekutiel Katz, who fell in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub nearly 44 years ago, had been brought to Israel.
The IDF called the recovery of the remains “closure,” saying it joins previous operations in which Master Sgt. Zachary Baumel was returned to Israel in 2019 and Master Sgt. Tzvika Feldman in 2025. With this, the mission to return all those missing from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub has been completed.
Among those moved to tears by the news was Rabbi Baruch Wieder, head of Yeshivat HaKotel, who fought in the historic Battle of Sultan Yacoub alongside his friend, who fell and was listed as missing for decades.
“For 44 years, I have not stopped praying for this day," the rabbi said. "This morning I received a phone call that shook my life. My good friend, Yehuda Katz, for 44 years I have not stopped praying for this day, that he would return, alive or dead, to Israel or for Jewish burial. Since the days of Bar Kokhba, there has not been a fighter like him, a young man who grew up in a hesder yeshiva, a genius, a prodigy, humble, a man of extraordinary character.”
Yehuda Katz
(Photo: Courtesy of the family)
The operation to return Katz was led by the Military Intelligence Directorate, in a joint effort with the Mossad. After the remains were brought to Israel, an identification process was conducted at the Military Rabbinate’s Center for the Identification of Fallen Soldiers, in cooperation with the Medical Corps and Israel Police.
Yehuda Katz’s family had been updated over the years on the continued efforts to locate him and return him to Israel. With the completion of the mission, the family was notified that their loved one had been returned. “Sadly, Yehuda’s parents, Sarah and Yosef Katz, did not live to receive the news,” the IDF said in a statement. The military also said his return to Israel was made possible “as part of efforts based on precise intelligence, in a series of intelligence and operational activities that continued for more than four decades, since he fell in battle.”
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir addressed the operation, saying: “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 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.”
This is one of the most painful and longest-running cases in Israel’s wars. IDF representatives updated the family Tuesday morning on the findings, which were located overnight between Monday and Tuesday in a special operation. In that historic battle, on June 11, 1982, the IDF left six soldiers behind in the field. Three of them remained missing for decades: the body of Master Sgt. Zachary Baumel was returned seven years ago, and last year the body of Master Sgt. Zvi Feldman was returned in a special operation from the heart of Syria. Katz was the last missing soldier.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the operation: “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.” Netanyahu thanked the IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet and the coordinator for captives and missing persons.
President Isaac Herzog also thanked everyone who took part in the operation and addressed the emotional news: “After 44 years of waiting, pain and longing, the missing soldier Yehuda Katz, of blessed memory, has returned home and will be brought to Jewish burial. With his return, the circle that remained an open and bleeding wound from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub is finally closed. Yehuda’s image has accompanied the State of Israel for decades, and me as well. His picture is in my office at the President’s Residence, a daily reminder of our sacred duty to bring our sons home and leave no one behind.”
The president added: “Today, I am thinking especially of his sister, Perachia, and the entire family, who carried his image and the hope for his return for decades, and fought tirelessly so the State of Israel would not forget Yehuda. I embrace her and the entire family at this painful and moving hour.”