YASAR! The Holy IDF Soldiers who Returned Ran Gvili to Israel after 843 Days

We are surrounded by so many heroes in this country, we don’t always hear enough about them, the soldiers of The YASAR are among them. The YASAR is the Southern Command Scanning Unit. Since October 7 until this week, they have been carrying out the hard and holy work to look for, positively identify, and bring to a burial in Israel our soldiers who have entered eternity. They have been in the worst battlefields and have, found, identified, and retrieved over 600 fallen soldiers since the beginning of the war, sometimes under fire. These are the special soldiers who discovered and identified the body of Ran Gvili z”l.

In the face of tragedy, the soldiers of the YASAR unit, attached to my IDF PALMAR unit, show unflagging compassion and respect for their fallen comrades. The all-volunteer unit plays a vital role in identifying and returning fallen soldiers, ensuring that they receive the honor and dignity they deserve. Every soldier, whether they survive or not, is treated with the utmost care and respect, a reflection of the deep sense of camaraderie and solidarity that defines the unit.

Yosef, a member of the YASAR unit shared his own harrowing experiences in the aftermath of the October 7th attacks. He is part of a team tasked with locating and identifying fallen soldiers in enemy territory, Yosef’s work is both challenging and emotionally taxing. His dedication to bringing closure to the families of fallen soldiers is a testament to the selfless and noble work of the YASAR unit.

In a candid interview with me, Yosef recounted the difficult tasks he and his unit faced in the aftermath of the attacks, from identifying and packing bodies to cleaning up army bases where unspeakable atrocities of October 7 had occurred. His commitment to the mitzvah (commandment) of hessed shel emet, the “true kindness” of bringing closure to grieving families, drives him to continue his work despite the emotional toll it takes. During his interview he recalled being at the Kissufim base on October 8.

We were sent the next day to clean up the army base at Kissufim. My unit’s job was to check the women’s quarters to make sure that there were no human remains. It was terrible. There was blood everywhere. There were clear signs of rape and torture. In addition to the bullet holes and scenes of destruction and terror, there were photos of the women on the walls and cupboards. Photos of birthdays, celebrations, and certificates of appreciation from the army. As a father of girls, it was extremely difficult for me to see this and not be overwhelmed by my emotions.

As former Prime Minister Naphtali Bennet so eloquently stated:

Now that they have completed their holy work, we need to bow our heads and thank them. They have performed “True kindness” (Hesed shel emet) for the families of the fallen and indeed the entire nation of Israel. Thank you for having brought our fallen sons and daughters’ home.

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The above contains an extract from my memoir “Heroes of PALMAR, How One IDF unit Revolutionized Combat Medicine in Gaza” (Gefen:2026).  To order: https://gefenpublishing.com/product.asp?productid=3518