Last Missing Soldier From Sultan Yaakov Battle in 1982 Laid to Rest After 44 Years

After 44 years, Yehuda Katz, the last missing soldier from the Sultan Yaakov battle during the First Lebanon War, was laid to rest this morning. His remains were discovered and returned to Israel earlier this week. The funeral procession began at Kerem B'Yavneh Hesder Yeshiva, where Katz studied, and proceeded to Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Family members, rabbis, alumni, and students gathered to honor his memory.

Rabbi Mordechai Greenberg, head of Kerem B'Yavneh Yeshiva, eulogized Katz, highlighting his dedication to both Torah study and military service. The Hesder Yeshiva Union expressed that Katz embodied the core values of the Hesder Yeshiva system, combining religious study with responsibility to the nation and readiness to defend Israel. They extended condolences to Katz’s family and the yeshiva community.

The Israel Defense Forces announced that Katz’s remains were found during a joint operation with the Mossad between June 2 and 3. Katz was one of six soldiers left behind during the June 11, 1982 battle, which took place on the sixth day of Operation Peace for Galilee. Three soldiers remained missing for decades; the remains of Zachariah Baumel were returned seven years ago, and those of Tzvi Feldman were recovered last year in a special operation in Syria.

The battle between Israeli and Syrian forces resulted in 20 Israeli soldiers killed, dozens wounded, and six missing. The circumstances of the battle have been the subject of ongoing public and scholarly debate, partly due to the heavy casualties and uncertainty surrounding the missing soldiers’ fate. The fallen from the early months of the war were buried on Mount of Olives after being evacuated from the Old City with British assistance.

Katz’s funeral marks the closure of a painful chapter for his family, comrades, and the Israeli public, ending decades of uncertainty about the fate of the missing from the Sultan Yaakov battle.