Israeli soldier from Connecticut dies in Lebanon military operation

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Israeli officials announced that Sgt. Moshe Yitzchak Hacohen Katz, 22, from Connecticut, was killed Saturday during a combat operation in southern Lebanon, weeks after he finished training, as Israel expands an invasion there.

The Israeli military identified Katz as a member of the 890th Battalion, Paratroopers Brigade, and said he was killed in southern Lebanon, a stronghold of Hezbollah. The announcement came after his death was reported to relatives and other family members, who traveled to Israel to attend his funeral, scheduled for Sunday, Caroline Caprio, a business partner of Katz’s father, said.

Katz was originally from New Haven, Connecticut, according to family members. His father, Mendy Katz, posted on Facebook after the death was announced, saying: “My heart is shattered and the wound is real,” according to the Associated Press.

Family members said Katz’s move to Israel took shape after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. Katz’s sister, Adina Katz, told Ynet News that her brother committed himself to joining the military about a year after the attack.

When Katz followed through and arrived in Israel last year, family members said he could not speak Hebrew at the time. Adina Katz said he completed a language preparatory program before enlisting, and Caprio said family members attended his recent graduation from training.

Adina Katz also described her brother’s training progress, saying in the AP report that: “He gave it his all and finished his beret march with a smile.” She said she moved to Israel before her brother.

Rabbi Yehoshua Hecht, a relative in Connecticut, said Katz’s decision was shaped by faith and a connection to Israel. He said Katz wanted “to do something more” and that “something more was going though basic training and joining the Israel Defense Forces to protect life and limb of the people that he loved,” according to Hecht.

In a statement Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Katz had “fought bravely in defense of the homeland.”