The YAMAM  (ימ"מ - יחידה מרכזית מיוחדת) also known as the Special Unit For Counter-Terrorism Warfare (היחידה המיוחדת ללוחמה בטרור) or in English: I.N.C.T.U - Israel's National Counter-Terror Unit, is Israel's national counter-terror and hostage rescue unit and the elite SWAT unit of the Israeli Police.

The YAMAM  (ימ"מ - יחידה מרכזית מיוחדת) also known as the Special Unit For Counter-Terrorism Warfare (היחידה המיוחדת ללוחמה בטרור) or in English: I.N.C.T.U - Israel's National Counter-Terror Unit, is an Israeli Police SWAT and elite counter-terrorism (CT) unit, officially designated as Israel's premier take-over unit and the national counter-terrorism unit. The unit is trained to handle and foil all kinds of terrorism, including hostages rescue operations and interception of terrorists in covert raids. With highly skilled and very experienced operators and a glorious combat record, the YAMAM is considered one of the world's best and most experienced counter-terrorism units.  The YAMAM belongs to the Israeli Police and is directly subordinate to the Border Guard (Border Police, משמר הגבול) general command.

The YAMAM has a worldwide reputation as one of the best and most experienced CT units in the world, with veteran and highly skilled operators with years of experience and a high volume of activity. The YAMAM is a highly decorated unit, receiving 5 medals of honor (צל"ש) from the Commissioner of the Israeli Police (2011, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2022) and one medal of honor from the IDF Chief of General Staff (2022). In addition, many of its operators received personal decorations and medals of honor. Notable is the late Pascal Avrahami, a veteran warrior and a sniper, who received a Medal of Courage (עיטור האומץ) and two Medal of Valor (עיטור המופת). The YAMAM has a long and rich combat record, foiling countless terror attacks, killing hundreds of terrorists and arresting many more. During the Second Intifada (2000-2005) YAMAM operators foiled hundreds of terror attacks, killing 179 terrorists (of which 50 were suicide bombers) and arresting 600 terrorists, without casualties to its operators. The YAMAM was one of the first forces to respond to the Palestinian mass-terror attack from the Gaza Strip on 7th October 2023. YAMAM operators and officers fought bravely, killing 200 terrorists, rescuing hostages, and saving many lives. However, 9 YAMAM officers were killed in action. In addition to its combat record, the unit won twice the USA "Urban Shield" contest for CT units, setting records for quality and speed of performance. The YAMAM maintains diplomatic and works connections with other international elite CT units, sometimes engaging in joint exercises and exchange of knowledge. Thus, the YAMAM is helping make the world a safer place. Naftali Bennett, Israel's Prime Minister and a veteran of the elite IDF unit Sayeret Matkal, designated the YAMAM as Israel's national counter-terror and hostage rescue unit and admitted he has fallen in love with the unit.

YAMAM consists of police officers on payroll, which chose counter-terrorism as a career and profession, after having a high level of infantry training and combat experience in the Israel Defense Forces. YAMAM operators are professional and seasoned warriors, many serving in the unit for over 20 years, keeping a top level of fitness and physical shape. YAMAM operates and trains elite warriors in various fields: raid and entry teams, rappelling teams, snipers, bomb disposal and explosive experts, K9 (dogs) operators, paramedics, operational drivers, and a covert ops team. In addition to regular CT and SWAT duties, the YAMAM also develops tactics, techniques, and technology for counter-terrorism operations.  YAMAM operates police dogs, which it trains within the unit, at the K9 department. YAMAM's police dogs are considered "warriors on four" and take an important part in every operation. Their specialty is locating and catching terrorists. YAMAM  snipers are considered one of the best and most professional snipers in the world and are credited with the accurate neutralization of hundreds of terrorists.

YAMAM operators are issued with customized M4A1 Carbine and IWI Arad service rifles, and Glock 17 and  Glock19c sidearms. The snipers are armed with very accurate sniper weapon systems including the Barrett MRAD (a bolt-action modular sniper rifle, with a precision of around 0.40 MOA with match-grade ammo), the Barrett REC10 (a semi-automatic sniper rifle carbine), and the SR-25 Mk 11 (a semi-automatic sniper rifle). YAMAM also operates shoulder-launched rockets, such as the M-72 LAW and the Israeli MATADOR, both used in siege operations and to breach buildings. Additional weapons include hand grenades and grenade launchers, commando machine guns (Negev SF), submachine guns (including Uzi-Pro), shotguns, and match-grade ammunition for best accuracy.  In addition, YAMAM is equipped with advanced technology, which most of it is classified.

YAMAM drafts its operators exclusively from veteran Israeli forces - Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Border Police (MAGAV). A candidate who wants to join the YAMAM must complete 12 years of mandatory education, 3 years of combat service in the IDF or Border Police, and have a Rifleman class of 08 and above, including completing a commander's course. YAMAM prefers military officers who graduated BAHAD 1 Officers Course and served in the IDF special forces, infantry, combat engineering, or MAGAV special units.  The traits, attributes, and skills YAMAM is looking for are: strong will, determination, courage, good judgment, composure, intelligence, teamwork, credibility, integrity, responsibility, adaptability, physical fitness, agility, dexterity, shooting ability and marksmanship, and discipline.

After submitting the application and passing the basic screening procedure, which includes physical exams, a professional interview, and security clearance, the candidate goes through a "Guiboush" week: 7 days of extreme trials, both physical and mental, which bring the candidate's determination and fitness to the limit. This "Hell Week" is considered one of the toughest and most challenging screening tests in the world. This level of difficulty can be achieved because all the candidates are seasoned combat warriors, and many of them have served in the IDF special forces. 

Those who pass the "Guiboush" start a basic 8-month-long counter-terrorism training, which focuses on basic CT tactics, shooting and marksmanship, physical fitness, Krav Maga (hand-to-hand combat), first aid, fieldwork, survival, and more.  After graduating from this course, the candidate is accepted to the unit and then goes through advanced training and specialization, filling positions in the operational sections.

The YAMAM enlisting process -  from first screening to acceptance - is considered one of the hardest in Israel. In 2023, only 10 out of 1300 candidates completed the process successfully and were enlisted to the unit. In 2024, only 12 out of 1400 candidates completed the process successfully and were enlisted to the unit.

The YAMAM has a long and rich combat record, foiling countless terror attacks, killing many hundreds of terrorists,  arresting many more, and saving countless lives. YAMAM is one of the busiest units in Israel - performing hundreds of operations per year, sometimes even on a daily basis. Most of the YAMAM's activity and operations are classified and unknown to the public.

The YAMAM was established in 1974 after the Ma'alot massacre, where a rescue attempt by Sayeret Matkal failed. Since Sayeret Matkal is a military unit specializing in deep reconnaissance and covert ops, the Israeli government decided there was a need for a dedicated professional unit, which hostage rescue is its primary role and specialty. The Israeli Police were chosen to have this unit and in particular the Border Police ("Mishmar HaGvul", MAGAV), the combat branch of the Israeli police, which combines the high combat level of the army with the experience in dealing with civilians and operating in a civilian environment.

While the unit was operational since the mid-1970s, its first hostage rescue mission was "The Mothers' Bus" hostage crisis in 1988 in which YAMAM was selected over Sayeret Matkal, and successfully killed the hijackers using snipers and stormed the bus, however, 2 hostages were killed by the terrorists, at least one prior to the raid. The success boosted the unit's prestige and reputation and it has become more and more active in counter-terrorism operations, including offensive raids against Palestinian terrorists in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip.

During the Second Intifada (2000-2005) YAMAM operators foiled hundreds of terror attacks, killing 179 terrorists (of which 50 were suicide bombers) and arresting 600 terrorists, without casualties to its operators. In many of its counter-terror raids, the unit was assisted by IDF Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozers, to force the terrorists to surrender by razing the house in which they were hiding and barricading, often armed and rigged with explosives.

During the 2010s, the YAMAM was very active in foiling terror attacks and in hunting down run-away terrorists who committed murderous terror attacks and then fled. YAMAM operators used intelligence provided by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and nabbed the terrorists - either by arresting them or killing them if necessary. Many cruel murderers were eliminated by the YAMAM.

In December 2021 and January 2022, Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett declared that the YAMAM is now designated as Israel's premier national counter-terror and hostage rescue unit. The declaration was more than symbolic: it included operational measures such as increasing the unit personnel and budget, raising the commander's rank to Tat-Nitzav (Brigadier General), and giving it the default seniority in counter-terror and hostage rescue operations.

The YAMAM was one of the leading units in Operation Breakwater ("Shover Galim", Wave Breaker) during 2022-2023, in which the unit killed dozens of terrorists and arrested over a hundred. For its conduct, it received a citation of honor ("Tzalash") from both the Police Commissioner and from the IDF Chief of General Staff.

On 30th January 2024 YAMAS special forces led a covert raid on a terror cell hiding in Jenin's Abu-Sina Hospital, which used the hospital as a human shield and a terror base in which they planned a terrorist attack and were on the brink of executing it. YAMAM operators raided the hospital in disguise, killed the three terrorists, and pulled out safely without any casualties to the operators themselves and bystanders and civilians. It was a surgical foiling of an imminent terror attack.

On  4th May 2024 YAMAM forces raided on a terrorist hideout in Deir al-Ghouson near Tulkarm. The terrorists inside refused to surrender so the structure was attacked by Zik UAV and demolished by an IDF D9 armored bulldozer. Five terrorists were killed. A YAMAM operator, Yitav Lev HaLevi, son of former YAMAM chief Yoram HaLevi, was critically injured and died a few days later.

Operation Golden Hand (12 February 2024) – The Rescue of Two Israeli Hostages from Rafah:

On 12th February 2024, YAMAM - together with the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) and the IDF - led a heroic hostage rescue raid in Rafah and freed two hostages held by Hamas. During the operation, YAMAM operators breached the building in which the hostages were held and killed 3 of their kidnappers while the operators shielded the hostages with their own bodies against Hamas' fire. YAMAM snipers and enveloping forces killed at least 5 more terrorists who attacked the rescue force and hostages. Under precise aerial cover fire from the Israeli Air Force,  YAMAM operators extracted the hostages and evacuated them via an IDF helicopter. The successful rescue operation was code-named "Operation Golden Hand".

Operation Arnon (8 June 2024) – The Rescue of Four Israeli Hostages from Nuseirat:

On  8th June 2024, YAMAM - together with the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) and the IDF - led a heroic hostage rescue raid in Nuseirat and freed four hostages held by Hamas. During the operation the fighters sneaked stealthily into two apartments where the hostages were held, breached in, eliminated the terrorists, and then rescued the hostages. During the extraction back to safety, the operators were attacked by heavy fire from Hamas terrorists and the Israeli Air Force provided accurate covering fire to neutralize them. Many Palestinian terrorists were killed by YAMAM and IDF fire. One YAMAM officer,  Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora, was killed during the operation, and the operation was named after him to honor him (the original name was "Operation Summer Seeds").

Photos courtesy of the Israeli Police spokesperson unit, through Wikipedia, and YAMAM's Instagram account

This is a tribute webpage to the YAMAM and not an official website of the Israeli Police or YAMAM.