Baumel\u2019s remains were recovered with Russian assistance and returned to Israel in 2019, and Feldman\u2019s remains were recovered by Mossad agents in May 2025.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said that in a special operation led by the Military Intelligence Directorate, in coordination with the Mossad spy agency, Katz\u2019s bones were located and brought to Israel for burial. No details were given on where they were found.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n The operation was based on intelligence obtained in recent months, according to the military. The IDF added that the finding was made possible due to a \u201cseries of intelligence and operational activities that continued for more than four decades, since he fell in battle.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF said that personal findings<\/a> belonging to Katz were brought back to Israel during the operation and given to his family for inspection. Meanwhile, Katz\u2019s bones were taken for identification and confirmed on Tuesday evening to belong to the slain soldier.<\/p>\n The military said Katz\u2019s family was updated over the years regarding the ongoing efforts to locate his remains and return them to Israel. \u201cUpon completion of the mission, the family was informed of the return of their loved one. Unfortunately, Yehuda\u2019s parents, Sarah and Yosef Katz, did not live to receive the news,\u201d the army said.<\/p>\n In a statement, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said, \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDecades have passed, but our duty toward our fallen has not changed. We will leave none of our people behind,\u201d Zamir added.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that he\u2019d supported covert operations to locate the missing soldiers from Sultan Yacoub \u201cfor many years.\u201d<\/p>\n He thanked the IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet, and the Missing Persons Directorate for their \u201cdetermined and courageous work\u201d to return Katz\u2019s remains.<\/p>\n President Isaac Herzog, in his statement hailing the operation, which he said marked an end to \u201c44 years of waiting, pain and longing.\u201d<\/p>\n Herzog noted that he\u2019d long kept a photo of Katz in his office, serving as \u201ca daily reminder of our holy duty to return our sons home and not leave anyone behind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToday I\u2019m thinking in particular of his sister, Prichya, and the whole family,\u201d the president said, in this \u201cpainful and emotional moment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe State of Israel didn\u2019t forget him and will never forget its children,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \t Defense Minister Israel Katz thanked \u201call the members of the defense establishment and the intelligence community, past and present, who have worked over the years with dedication and determination and never ceased their efforts until the mission was completed.\u201d<\/p>\n There was no immediate statement from Katz\u2019s family, who have been advocating for efforts to return the missing soldier\u2019s remains for decades.<\/p>\n Rabbi Baruch Vider, the head of a prominent Jerusalem yeshiva, who also fought at Sultan Yacoub, spoke in a video shared by the Ynet news site: \u201cFor 44 years, I haven\u2019t stopped praying for this day,\u201d and went on to praise the fallen soldier as \u201ca brilliant boy, a prodigy, humble, with great virtues.\u201d<\/p>\n Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tFrom left: Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman. (Courtesy)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tank-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tPhotograph purportedly showing three IDF soldiers on a captured Israeli tank paraded through the streets of Damascus, Syria n the days following the June 11, 1982 battle of Sultan Yacoub in the First Lebanon War. (The International Coalition for Missing Israeli Soldiers)<\/p>\n
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