Itai Person
First Sergeant Itai Person (23) was a specialized operative in the Yamam, Israel's National Counter-Terror Unit, serving in its elite observation and drone team. A resident of Haifa, his body was discovered at the city's Students' Beach in September 2026 following a two-day search operation.
First Sergeant Itai Person was a dedicated member of the Yamam, the premier counter-terrorism unit of the Israel Border Police. Within this elite framework, Person served in the specialized observation and drone unit, a role critical to the unit's intelligence-gathering and operational precision during high-stakes missions. His service placed him at the forefront of Israel's internal security efforts, utilizing advanced technological tools to support the Yamam's complex counter-terror mandates.
In September 2026, Person was reported missing after visiting Students' Beach in his home city of Haifa on a Thursday evening. The disappearance triggered a significant search effort involving security forces and volunteers. On Saturday afternoon, the Israel Police and Border Police confirmed that his body had been located at the same beach where he was last seen. While initial fragmented reports briefly suggested a discovery in the Tel Aviv area, official confirmation established the location as Haifa. Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
At the time of the discovery, the circumstances surrounding his death remained under investigation by the Israel Police. Authorities have focused on reconstructing the timeline from his arrival at the beach on Thursday until the discovery on Saturday. Itai Person is survived by his parents, four siblings, and his partner. His death marks the loss of a highly trained operative within Israel's most elite domestic security tier. The Zioneer Intelligence Desk continues to monitor official updates regarding the investigation into the incident.