The Israeli National Counter-Terrorism Unit (YAMAM) is Israel’s elite police and border police unit for counter-terrorism operations and serves as the country’s premier national hostage rescue unit.

YAMAM is primarily tasked with handling hostage situations and barricaded terrorist incidents, but it also operates in various other counter-terrorism scenarios. The unit is considered one of the most skilled and professional in the world and the most proficient among Israeli special forces.

YAMAM was established in 1974 following the recommendations of the Horev Commission, which was formed after the Ma’alot massacre. During the massacre, a failed rescue attempt resulted in the murder of 21 schoolchildren by terrorists.

YAMAM’s operational jurisdiction covers all of Israel, including Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and Gaza. The unit has a very high operational tempo, conducting hundreds of missions annually. In addition to its regular readiness, YAMAM includes a rapid intervention team in collaboration with the “Shin Bet”, known as the “Tequila Team,” which is the first to respond to terror attacks.

In March 2022, a wave of Arab terrorism began, Forcing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the “Shin Bet” to launch the Operation “breakwater” to combat terrorism. For its operations during this campaign, YAMAM was awarded the Police Chief’s decoration and the Chief of Staff’s decoration.

On May 13, 2022, YAMAM combat medic Noam Raz from the community of Kida was critically wounded during a counter-terrorism operation in the village of Wadi Burqin near Jenin. He was evacuated by helicopter in critical condition but later Died of his wounds.

During Operation “breakwater,” YAMAM operators conducted missions across various regions in the West Bank, successfully dismantling numerous terrorist infrastructures, including the “Lion’s Den” a terrorist organization in Nablus’s Kasbah and terrorist infrastructures in the Jenin refugee camp.