Uri Ilan, a heroic IDF soldier who was captured by the Syrians, left behind a message for his country

On 1955, with his last breaths, IDF soldier Uri Ilan from the Golani Brigade used a wooden toothpick he found in the Syrian prison where he was being held, and perforated on a page the words “I did not betray”, a pair of words that became a symbol of heroism and Zionism among IDF soldiers. The story of these words has been told by generations of commanders to their soldiers -- and in honor of the 67th anniversary of Uri’s death today (13.1), we will share his story: 

In the winter of 1954, the IDF carried out “Operation Cricket”, an operation whose aim was to place an important strategic IDF facility in Syrian territory. Five soldiers took part in this operation: three soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade and two other soldiers from the Golani Brigade. One of them was Uri Ilan.

 DD Uri Ilan

Disguised in civilian clothing, Uri and the four other combat soldiers crossed the northern border of Israel into Syria. When they crossed the border, they were ambushed by Syrian forces. As a result, all five soldiers were captured, serving as a significant bargaining chip for the Syrians -- especially because each one of them knew confidential information, and the disclosure of this could affect the future of the entire State of Israel and endanger the lives of many.

The abductors took them to the Damascus Prison, where the Syrians pressured the IDF combat soldiers to reveal what they knew. They used various methods of torture to convince the group to cooperate with them. Uri realized that if he didn’t disclose the intelligence he knew, he would stay there forever, but he promised himself that he would never let the enemy forces break him. He would never betray the country, not even at the cost of his life.

Tearing a page from a book that he found in the Syrian prison cell, Uri perforated the words "I did not betray". He hid the page in a shoe he wore in hopes that if in the future someone would find it, they would see his note and know that he did not betray his country. On January 13th, 1955, while he was still at the Syrian prison with the message in his shoe, Uri Ilan ended his own life.  He was not yet 20 years old.

“I did not betray” perforated in Hebrew

Uri Ilan's body was returned to the State of Israel on the day he committed suicide. When it arrived, a military funeral was held in his memory, led by the then IDF chief of staff, Lieutenant General Moshe Dayan. He decided to commemorate the soldier with the pair of words that will leave a mark on history forever - "I did not betray." The other four soldiers who were in prison with Uri were released after about 15 months in captivity, and came back to Israel.

The story of Uri, a brave soldier who was willing to give up his own life for the sake of the State of Israel, is a well-known story that commanders tell their soldiers. Uri’s message was clear: his country came first and foremost.