Story perspectives

IDF Returns Sgt. Yehuda Katz’s Remains After 44 Years

8/19/2026

Summary

IDF Returns Remains

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on 18 August 2026 that Sgt. Yehuda Katz’s remains were returned, 44 years after his death in Battle of Sultan Yacoub on 11 June 1982.
Military Intelligence, Mossad and Shin Bet located the remains in Lebanon and Rabbinate identified them to IDF Medical Corps.
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir called the return milestone.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog thanked the agencies and pledged Jewish burial for Katz.

Summary

IDF Recovers MIA

The June 11, 1982 Sultan Yacoub clash, part of Operation Peace for Galilee, lasted eight hours, killed 20 Israeli soldiers and left six missing.
Zohar Lifshitz was buried in Syria, Arik Lieberman was captured and released two years later, and Hezi Shai was freed in the 1985 “Jibril deal”.
Later recoveries added Zachary Baumel in 2019 and Zvi Feldman in May 2025, showing a long-term pattern of resolving missing-person cases from the 1982 conflict.

History

Historical Context

The 1973 Yom Kippur War, in which Israel lost about 2,800 soldiers and left hundreds missing, exposed brutal POW treatment by Syria. After the Agranat Commission inquiry, Israel began a recovery program, identifying 120 remains by 1975. The 2026 return of Sgt. Yehuda Katz’s remains prompts Defense Ministry to add $45 million for forensic labs and expand diplomatic outreach to Syria and Lebanon.

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IDF Returns Remains

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on 18 August 2026 that Sgt. Yehuda Katz’s remains were returned, 44 years after his death in Battle of Sultan Yacoub on 11 June 1982.
Military Intelligence, Mossad and Shin Bet located the remains in Lebanon and Rabbinate identified them to IDF Medical Corps.
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir called the return milestone.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog thanked the agencies and pledged Jewish burial for Katz.

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