My Word: Still bringing them home - opinion
The remains and personal effects of IDF Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz had been located and would be buried in Israel – 44 years after he disappeared in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub.
On Tuesday, the country learned that the remains and personal effects of IDF Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz had been found after 44 years. The revelation, though not joyful, offered some solace to the grieving family. At 23, Katz disappeared in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub during the First Lebanon War in June 1982, following a fierce tank battle between Israeli and Syrian forces in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.
He was among the missing soldiers, often referred to as "Sultan Yacoub III," alongside Zachary Baumel and Tzvi Feldman. Baumel's remains were returned in 2019 with aid from Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Feldman's remains were recovered last summer through a Mossad operation. Katz's body was found in an undisclosed location, with the Mossad also involved in the search, which yielded the only unaccounted-for soldier from that battle.
The discovery brought a sense of closure to his family, knowing that he had died rather than suffering in captivity. The episode highlighted the ongoing efforts to locate and identify missing soldiers, a responsibility the IDF Unit for the Location of Missing Soldiers remains committed to. The story underscored the importance of redeeming captives, a principle deeply rooted in Jewish tradition, and the enduring hope for closure even in the face of unimaginable loss.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
