Yonatan Netanyahu Yonatan " Yoni " Netanyahu ( ; March 13 , 1946 – July 4 , 1976 ) , was the commander of the elite Israeli army commando unit Sayeret Matkal . He was the only Israeli soldier killed in action during Operation Entebbe in Uganda . He was awarded the Medal of Distinguished Service for his conduct in the Yom Kippur War . His younger brother , Benjamin Netanyahu , is the current Prime Minister of Israel . Biography . Yonatan Netanyahu was born in New York City , USA , the eldest son of Zila ( née Segal ; 1912 – 2000 ) and Benzion Netanyahu ( 1910 – 2012 ) , a professor emeritus of history at Cornell University . He was named after his paternal grandfather , Rabbi Nathan Mileikowsky , and John Henry Patterson . His two brothers were Benjamin and Iddo . Benjamin ( nicknamed " Bibi " ) was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1996 , in 2009 and reelected in 2013 . Iddo , the youngest of the three , is a radiologist and writer . All three brothers served in Sayeret Matkal . Netanyahu attended Cheltenham High School in Wyncote , Pennsylvania , graduating in 1964 as a classmate of Baseball Hall of Fame member Reggie Jackson . Netanyahu married his long - time girlfriend Tirza ( " Tuti " ) on August 17 , 1967 . Shortly after their wedding , they flew to the U . S . , where Yoni enrolled at Harvard University . He took classes in philosophy and mathematics , excelling in both , and was on the Dean ' s List at the end of his first year . However , feeling restless at being away from Israel , especially with Israel skirmishing against Egypt during the War of Attrition , Yoni transferred to Jerusalem ' s Hebrew University in 1968 . In early 1969 , he left his studies and returned to the army . Military career . Netanyahu joined the Israeli Defence Forces in 1964 . He volunteered to serve in the Paratroopers Brigade , and excelled in the Officer Training Course . He was eventually given command of a paratroopers company . On June 5 , 1967 , during the Six Day War , his battalion fought the battle of Um Katef in Sinai , then reinforced the Golan Heights . During the battle , Yonatan received a wound to his elbow while helping rescue a fellow soldier who lay wounded deep behind enemy lines . After the Six Day War , Netanyahu went to the United States to study at Harvard University , but returned a year later because of the War of Attrition . Instead , he studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem , returning to active military service after half a year . In the early 1970s he joined Sayeret Matkal ( Israeli special forces ) , and in the summer of 1972 was appointed as the unit ' s deputy commander . During that year , he commanded a raid ( Operation Crate 3 ) in which senior Syrian officers were captured and exchanged in return for captive Israeli pilots . The following year he participated in Operation Spring of Youth ( ) , in which the alleged terrorists and leadership of Black September were selectively killed by Sayeret Matkal , Shayetet - 13 and the Mossad . During the Yom Kippur War in October 1973 , Netanyahu commanded a Sayeret Matkal force in the Golan Heights that killed more than 40 Syrian commandos in a battle which thwarted the Syrian commando s ' raid in the Golan ' s heartland . During the same war , he also rescued Lieutenant Colonel Yossi Ben Hanan from Tel Shams , while Ben Hanan was lying wounded behind Syrian lines . Following the war , Netanyahu was awarded Medal of Distinguished Service ( ) , Israel ' s third highest military decoration , for his wartime conduct . Netanyahu then volunteered to serve as an armor commander , due to the heavy casualties inflicted on the Israeli Armored Corps during the war , with a disproportionate number of these in the officer ranks . Netanyahu excelled in Tank Officers course , and was given command of the Barak Armored Brigade , which had been shattered during the war . Netanyahu turned his brigade into the leading military unit in the Golan Heights . In June 1975 Netanyahu left the Armored Corps and returned to Sayeret Matkal as unit commander . He was killed in action on July 4 , 1976 . while commanding an assault unit in Operation Entebbe , his first big operation since returning to the unit . Netanyahu was the only Israeli soldier killed during the raid ( along with three hostages , all of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine members , and dozens of Uganda n soldiers ) . Netanyahu was shot outside the building being stormed , and would soon die in the arms of Efraim Sneh , commander of the mission ' s medical unit . The operation itself was considered a success by Israel , and is known as " Mivtsa Yonatan " ( Operation Yonatan ) in honor of Netanyahu . Netanyahu was buried in Jerusalem ' s Military Cemetery at Mount Herzl on July 6 following a military funeral attended by enormous crowds and top - ranking officials . Shimon Peres , then Defense Minister , said during the eulogy that “ a bullet had torn the young heart of one of Israel ’ s finest sons , one of its most courageous warriors , one of its most promising commanders – the magnificent Yonatan Netanyahu . ” In 1972 , he and Tuti were divorced . Netanyahu was living with his girlfriend of two years , Bruria , at the time of his death . Personal letters . In 1980 many of Netanyahu ' s personal letters were published . Author Herman Wouk describes them as a " remarkable work of literature , possibly one of the great documents of our time . " Many of his letters were written hurriedly under trying conditions in the field , but according to a review in the " New York Times " , give a " convincing portrayal of a talented , sensitive man of our times who might have excelled at many things yet chose clearsightedly to devote himself to the practice and mastery of the art of war , not because he liked to kill or wanted to , but because he knew that , as always in human history , good is no match for evil without the power to physically defend itself . " Letter to his parents , March 6 , 1969 : Letter to his brother Benjamin , Dec . 2 , 1973 : Letter to his parents , April 13 , 1974 : Letter to his girlfriend Bruria , Dec . , 1974 : Biographical film and play . The film entitled " Follow Me " , released in May 2012 , is based on Netanyahu ' s life story and his final mission , leading the successful rescue of Israeli hostages at Entebbe , at the cost of his life . The narration during the film uses transcripts from his personal letters and other spoken words . " To Pay the Price " is a play by Peter - Adrian Cohen based in part on Netanyahu ' s letters . The play , produced by North Carolina ' s Theatre Or opened off Broadway in New York in June 2009 during the " Festival of Jewish Theater and Ideas . " ' The play had been scheduled to run at the New Repertory Theatre company near Boston , Massachusetts . The run was canceled by the Netanyahu family because the theater was intending to run the play as a companion piece to " My Name Is Rachel Corrie " . Legacy . In 1979 , The Jonathan Institute was established in order to sponsor international conferences on terrorism . One of its first speakers , U . S . Senator Henry M . Jackson , then Chairman of the Armed Services Committee , described the purpose of the conference and its relation to Jonathan Netanyahu : Author Herman Wouk noted that " Yoni " Netanyahu was already a legend in Israel even before his death at the age of 30 . He wrote : Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his " hard line against all terrorists " came as a result of the death of his brother . In 2005 , he was voted the 13th - greatest Israeli of all time , in a poll by the Israeli news website " Ynet " to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis .