IDF Colonel Nataniel Lasry Dies at 40 After Cancer Battle

Col. Nataniel “Nati” Lasry, head of planning in the IDF Ground Forces and a former commander of the Golan and Hermon Brigade, died on Saturday at the age of 40 after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was born in Lod and leaves behind a wife and three children.

Lasry enlisted in the IDF in 2004 and served first as a tank crewman in the Armored Corps’ 401st Brigade. During the Second Lebanon War he fought as part of a tank crew, and over the years he moved through a long series of command and staff posts in the Armored Corps and broader IDF command structure.

His service included battalion operations officer during Operation Cast Lead, deputy company commander during Operation Warm Winter, company commander of training and later an operational company in Battalion 52, and command roles during Operation Pillar of Defense and Operation Protective Edge. He received a Chief of Staff commendation and also an award from the commander of the Gaza Division for helping stop a terror attack near the Israel, Egypt and Gaza border junction. In 2015 he became deputy commander of Battalion 52, later served as assistant head of the Operations Directorate, commanded Battalion 9 from 2019 to 2021, and then became operations officer of the 162nd Division.

In August 2023 he took command of the Golan and Hermon Brigade, but was forced to end that post in 2024 because of his medical condition. In May 2025 he became head of planning in the Ground Forces, a role he held until his death. The Iron Tracks association of the 401st Brigade said he “grew throughout most of his years as a fighter and commander” and that his comrades “deeply mourn his passing and share the family’s grief.”