| Centralized Special Unit / Israel's National Counter-Terror Unit | |
|---|---|
| YAMAM ימ"מ | |
 Yamam officers in full gear during raid training, armed withM4A1 carbines and operating police dog (K9) | |
| Active | 1974–present |
| Country | Israel |
| Agency |  Israel Police |
| Type | Police tactical unit |
| Role | Domesticcounter-terrorism,hostage rescue andlaw enforcement |
| Part of |  Israel Border Police |
| Motto | אֶרְדּוֹף אוֹיְבַי וְאַשִּׂיגֵם, וְלֹא אָשׁוּב עַד כַּלּוֹתָם (I will pursue my enemies and I will overtake them, and I will not return until they are destroyed) (Psalm 18:37) |
| Structure | |
| Operators | ≈200 officers |
| Notables | |
| Significant operation(s) | |
Yamam (Hebrew:יחידה מרכזית מיוחדת,romanized: Yeḥida Merkazit Meyuḥedet,lit. 'Centralized Special Unit'), also known asNational Counter-Terrorism Unit, is Israel's nationalcounter-terrorism unit, one of four special units of theIsrael Border Police. The Yamam is capable of both hostage-rescue operations and offensive take-over raids against terrorist targets in civilian areas. Besides military and counter-terrorism duties, it also performstactical unit duties and undercover police work.
The Yamam was established in late 1974 after theMa'alot massacre, where a failed rescue operation by theSayeret Matkal commando unit of theIsrael Defense Forces resulted in the murder of 21 schoolchildren before the hostage takers were killed.[1]
On May 23, 2006, a Yamam force, using intelligence provided by theShin-Bet, arrestedIbrahim Hamed after anIDF Caterpillar D9armored bulldozer started ramming the house in which he was hiding.[2]On September 23, 2014, a Yamam force, together withIsrael Defense ForcesCombat Engineering Corpsbulldozers, killed the twoHamas members accused ofkilling three Israeli teens in June 2014.[3]
On April 2, 2022, YAMAM operators killed threePalestinian Islamic Jihad militants, reportedly on their way to an attack.[4]On August 19, 2022, YAMAM operators killed Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, a commander of theLions' Den militant group.[5][6]On October 25, 2022, YAMAM led a combined raid (with theIsrael Defense Forces and theShin Bet) on what the IDF said was the Lions' Den headquarters andbomb lab inNablus.[7]On January 26, 2023, YAMAM led a combined raid (with theIsrael Defense Forces and theShin Bet) onJenin refugee camp, which the IDF said was targeted against members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad who were planning an attack. Nine Palestinians were killed in the attack, including an unarmed civilian.[8]
On October 7, 2023, YAMAM forces were the first to respond to theOctober 7 attacks and the numerous massacres conducted by Palestinians in Israeli communities and towns. YAMAM operators killed in combat 200 armed Hamas gunmen and conducted several hostage rescue operations. YAMAM lost nine operators and officers who were killed in action.[9]
On February 12, 2024, YAMAM rescued two Israeli hostages inRafah, together with theShin Bet and theIsraeli Defense Forces, in a military covert raid code-namedOperation Golden Hand.[10]
On June 8, 2024, YAMAM rescued four hostages in theNuseirat Refugee Camp, together with theShin Bet and theIsraeli Defense Forces, inOperation Arnon. During the operation, Squad CommanderArnon Zamora, 36, was killed in combat.Noa Argamani, an Israeli citizen kidnapped in theRe'im Music festival massacre, was rescued in the operation.[11][12][13][14] During the operation, according to the IDF, under 100 Palestinians were killed. According to Hamas, 210 were killed.[15]
Yamam recruits veterans ofIsrael Defense Forces andIsrael Border Police combat units who completed their compulsory service. Applicants must have served in a regular IDF combat unit and completed a commander's course (Rifleman 08), served in an IDF special forces unit, or served in a Border PoliceMista'arvim unit. The unit's training course lasts seven months, divided into three months of basic counter-terrorism training, during which recruits go through basic combat training as well as training in hand-to-hand combat, urban combat, and use of specialized weapons, followed by four months of advanced training.[16][17]
The YAMAM trains and operates entry and breaching teams,rappelling team,snipers,K9 operator,paratroopers,EOD operators andundercover operators.[citation needed] This allows the unit to be independent of other units and respond rapidly to terror attacks and emergency cases.[citation needed]
The unit received number of honor citations (TZALASH, ציון לשבח) from the Commissioner of theIsraeli Police: 2011,[18] 2014,[19] 2016,[20] 2020,[21] and 2022.[22]
In 2022 the unit received an honor citation from theIsrael Defense ForcesChief of the General Staff (צל"ש הרמטכ"ל) for their fighting during Operation Breakwater.[23]
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