Yotam Ben Basat

Yotam grew up in Bat Hefer, the son of Tami and Beni, and the eldest brother of Rom and Noam.

He always strove for excellence and professionalism in everything he did, yet never forgot to enjoy life: traveling across Israel and around the world, meeting friends for a pot of campfire coffee at lookout points in the valley or springs across the country, and trying almost every sport imaginable. He skied, dived, treked abroad, and especially excelled in tennis. As a teenager he completed a coaching course at the Wingate Institute and taught children at the Bat Hefer Tennis School. A devoted sports fan, he loved basketball and soccer, played handball at Ruppin High School, and joined the school’s youth exchange delegation to Germany for the sport. More recently, he was training for a marathon.

Yotam visited nearly every good meat restaurant in Israel, but that wasn’t enough for him. True to his professional mindset, he learned how to prepare quality meat himself and loved hosting his friends for impressive meals.

He never asked “why me?” and never complained. Challenges were met with quiet determination and without unnecessary words.

His soldiers and friends from the army describe a commander with quiet charisma and leadership by example.

At just 16, he dreamed of joining the Duvdevan Unit. He read books about the unit, prepared himself mentally and physically, joined the “Five Fingers” training program, and worked hard to meet the demanding standards.

In March 2018 he enlisted as a fighter in Duvdevan, driven by motivation, determination, and a sense of purpose. After two significant years filled with challenges, experiences, training, missions, and operational activity, Yotam and his team were transferred to the Multidimensional Unit “Refaim”. Despite the forced move, he chose—as always—to embrace it fully and make the most of it.

He became the first soldier from the Multidimensional Unit to attend officer training, and went on to serve in several key roles: fighter, squad commander, and later platoon commander for multiple cycles of trainees. His comrades described him as a pillar of the unit: knowledgeable, highly skilled, quietly powerful, and profoundly humble. He earned the title of outstanding officer two years in a row, yet never boasted about it.

During his five and a half years of service, Yotam set goals for himself and achieved them one by one.

On the weekend of October 7, he was on base with the training teams who were about to complete their course. When the Hamas attack began, the unit was immediately dispatched to Kibbutz Re’im, and Yotam, as always, was among the first to jump into action with his soldiers.

In the battle, they encountered many terrorists. Yotam led the fight, eliminated terrorists, freed hostages, and fought with extraordinary bravery until he fell.

Yotam was killed on Saturday, October 7, at the height of his strength, focused and living the principles he believed in throughout his service: closing in on the enemy, rescuing hostages, and saving lives.

May his memory be a blessing.