His decision to bypass standard protocol and place himself in harm’s way successfully enabled the extraction of the surviving forces, cementing his legacy as a legendary figure in modern Golani Brigade history.

By Hezy Laing

On December 12, 2023, during intense urban combat in the Shejaiya neighborhood of northern Gaza, Major (res.) Yitzhak Ben Basat, a 44-year-old veteran commander from Sde Warburg, exemplified the IDF’s core command ethos of leading from the front.

Ben Basat, a former commander of both the Paran Regional Brigade and the Yiftach Brigade, had already concluded his formal military career but chose to return to active service as head of the Golani Brigade’s forward command team when the war erupted.

During a complex tactical operation, soldiers from the Golani Brigade’s 53rd Battalion entered a dense residential compound to clear structural hazards.

Terrorists launched a synchronized ambush, detonating a series of improvised explosive devices and unleashing sustained automatic gunfire and anti-tank rockets from inside the buildings.

The initial blast cut off communication and trapped a forward four-man reconnaissance squad inside a heavily booby-trapped structure.

Positioned safely at the rear command post, Ben Basat possessed the full authority to deploy subordinate units to handle the volatile extraction.

Instead, he made the deliberate tactical decision to lead the rescue mission himself.

Coordinating under heavy smoke and chaotic conditions, Ben Basat assembled an immediate rescue force, joining forces with 13th Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Grinberg and 414th Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Roei Yohay.

Ben Basat led his team directly into the line of fire to extract the wounded and trapped soldiers.

As the rescue team breached the compound, they encountered a secondary ambush involving intense close-quarters gunfire and additional hidden explosives.

During the fierce firefight, Ben Basat was mortally wounded alongside Lieutenant Colonel Grinberg, Major Roei Meldasi, and Major Moshe Avram Bar-On.

In total, the battle claimed the lives of nine Israeli soldiers, including Colonel Itzhak Ben Basat.

His decision to bypass standard protocol and place himself in harm’s way successfully enabled the extraction of the surviving forces, cementing his legacy as a legendary figure in modern Golani Brigade history.